Death Do Us Part
by Neo Nobody
Summary: Will death really 'do them part? Or is it just the beginning of a few love stories? Puzzle/Blindshipping, Tendershipping, Puppyshipping, Persevereshipping, Bronzeshipping, implied Visionshipping! Rated T for suicidal content, language, sexualness COMPLETE
1. Wishing, Watching, Waiting

Disclaimer: Princess maybe owns nothing but this really sucky fanfic.

Princess: Took a crack at a Point Of View fanfic, and forgive me if it sucks, I, uh, ummm, ahh, *whispering* Shadow! I'm running out of excuses!

Shadow the Cat: *Also whispering* Did you try saying you suck at everything but sucking at things?

Princess: *Still whispering* No, I didn't! *YELLING* I SUCK AT EVERYTHNG EXCEPT SUCKING AT THINGS! *whispering* How was that?

Shadow the Cat: *Laughing* Good...

**Atem POV**

I walked around the bad impression of my old palace that the Spirit World had built for me and my family tiredly. Time had no hold on the place, I could've been walking for seconds or days.

I remember first walking in to that damn door that brought me to this place. At first I was happy seeing my family again, then after only a little bit, I was bored, depressed, sad, tired all the time, lonely, and whenever I thought of what I'd left behind, my head (or was it heart?) ached.

I knew that I once had fun with all my friends back in Egypt, like Seto, and my old crush, Mana, but now, it just wasn't the same. While I was in the modern world, I missed both Seto and Mana, but now that I'm here, I wish they would just go away and I could go back to how it was before, me sitting in... _his_ soul chamber, playing Mind Duel Monsters, a game that me and... a game we had invented. It was just normal Duel Monsters but we played in our head.

I laughed at the memory of, _him, _laughing as he lost for the fifty-seventh time to me. Why did he have to beat me that one time? I had put on a happy face for them, making them think I was _just peachy_ that I had to leave everything I created and cared for and needed for being _dead._

Well, people will believe what they wanna believe.

"And I believe that Yugi" I twinged at the new pounding in his head and his heart, "is probably happy and healthy and in love with Tea or something." I then felt something coming to the surface.

I dry heaved at the thought of _my hikari_ and that slut Tea being together for the next hour.

What I didn't know was that Ra and Osiris were watching me.

**Tea POV**

I sat down in my husband's bean bag lazily, messing with my silver wedding ring, thinking about, _him._ None of us have been able to say his name out loud for fear that Yugi would twinge, then say he was OK, but duck out to his room, thinking we couldn't hear his sobs, separated by about ten feet of air and an inch of fake wood.

He tried to hide that he was hurting for the past year that's he's been gone, but we all saw it as clear as day. Damn you, Atem. This is all your fault. Why couldn't you have said 'no'? You ruined his life! Yugi's been completely different. He's quiet, gone, away, whatever you want to call it. He's emotionally dead. And we all feel it. He's always sleeping, and I imagine it's because, then, he can dream.

I felt my face heating up with anger, anger I didn't have a place to put.

Of course, the second I think that, my man appeared in the door, coming home from work, instantly making me the happiest woman alive. My husband is home! The man I love!

"Hey, Duke. How was work?" I asked my husband, Duke Devlin, his only response was a tight, cautious kiss.

"I love you baby, ya know that?" he asked me, "And I love you too, baby." he said, hugging my bulging nine-month-pregnant waist.

"What's wrong?"

"Ishizu got a vision," he blurted out.

Wait, what?

"I thought she didn't have any more visions now that she doesn't have the Millennium Necklace?"

"She doesn't." he replied, with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "She says that it must be so important that Ra sent it to her."

"What did she see?" I asked, almost not wanting to. I mean, whatever it is has my husband shaking in his boots.

"She saw Atem in the Spirit World. He was just as depressed as Yugi; maybe even more."

I nearly choked.

"He misses Yugi," I stated.

"Yes, I think he does." and that's when my contractions started.

**Yugi's POV**

I sat down on my bed, and zoned out, trying to find my soul chamber to escape to. I've gone there in search of him for the whole year he's been gone. He must be happy up there.

And then I was there in the place we used to meet all the time. The cream walls, the toys, everything that I left was there. So was the door.

I opened the door to the hallway, seeing the door, my heart stopped, then broke into a sprint. I know what to expect. Cobwebs and empty rooms and a missing man.

My heart broke all over again, and I asked myself once again why I do this to myself. My head spun, and my body lurched towards the millions of rooms, still continuing to search for _his_ memories; it was instinctual now that I had wanted all of that again. I wanted the possibility of dying every day. I wanted to save the world by playing card games.

Then I heard a voice calling from the real world.

"Yugi! YUGI!" Tea's voice echoed through my head as I got up and walked to my soul room, entered, and came back alive.

Tea was shaking me, still calling my name.

"Yugi," she breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought you were in a coma! Never do that to me again!"

Tea's maternal side had really come out since she realized she was pregnant. Duke had changed too, just in a different way. He barely looked at anyone other than Tea anymore, an that's good. Because if he did, me and the guys would just have to murder him.

"I was just searching again." I told her, and her face softened. "So... why did you wake me?" I asked, knowing if everything was peachy, she would've left me like that. She was freaking out, she knew what it looked like when I went to my mind.

"Ishizu got a vision," she answered, her voice tainted with fear, sadness, and happiness all mixed into one. "I know, I know, she doesn't get visions anymore, but this must've been so important Ra sent it to her, or rather Osiris, also known as the Lord of the Dead. It was of," she paused there, as if measuring how much she should edit. "_him." _I felt like I had been sucker-punched in the gut.

My head spun as I asked the last question I would probably ever ask.

"What... was the vision... about?" I sounded like a choking two-year-old.

She then explained to me what I asked her to.


	2. The Missing Piece?

Princess: Oh my God, I'm so sorry, I forgot to explain that Yugi and Tea were in the hospital and Tea was in between contractions. Sorry!

Shadow the Cat: **rotflol**.

Princess: …

Shadow the Cat: What? It's 'rolling on the floor laughing out loud'!

Princess: … anyway, how did the transplant go? Ya know, the one you got to put you in your new boy. I lent you 1.3 or something million dollars...

Shadow the Cat: Yeah, about that... I kinda blew all the money on children's trading cards...

Princess: … Where's my chainsaw?

Shadow the Cat: Over there. *Pointing*

Princess: *grabbing the chainsaw* Can I get a hug?

Shadow the Cat: Yeah sure... OH MY GOD! IT BURNS, IT BURNS!

**Atem POV**

I was walking around the fake palace when Ra and Osiris called me.

"Yes, Great Masters?" I asked, bowing down. It was an honor talking to the Gods, but I couldn't help but wonder what the hell they wanted with me. They wasted no time telling me.

"You miss your hikari, don't you, Pharaoh Atemu?" Ra asked me in a beautiful voice, that I shuddered at; such amazing power! Such absolute power!

Then the question actually sunk in.

"... Yes, I do." It was no use to lie. They would know it, anyway. "I miss him very much." My heartbeats became labored, and I unknowingly started crying.

"Would you like to see him again?" Osiris asked, his voice full of pride, completely talking down to me.

"YES!" I screamed, making them bat an eyelash. "PLEASE!" The sudden rush of emotion even scared me.

"Then your wish shall be granted, but only for 12 hours, or midnight, if you're going to tell time." Osiris moved his hand and a orb of light appeared, glimmering all the way into my hands. It was a watch.

"You will use this watch to know how long you have left." Ra answered the unasked question running through my head. "Until midnight," Ra reminded, and the watch became a stopwatch, ready to start counting the seconds till 12:00 AM.

"Why does this remind me of something from Earth?" I wondered aloud, and, to my surprise, he immediately answered.

"Cinderella," and then I was engulfed in light that took me to a galaxy far, far away. (A/N And there's the obligatory Star Wars reference; I never thought I'd sink that low.)

**Tea POV**

I sat in the hospital bed as Yugi sat in the chair next to me, off in another world, as usual. Duke was asleep beside me on the bed.

The contractions have been pretty far apart, so he had fallen asleep.

I stared longingly at Yugi, wishing he'd just let go of Atem, just leaving him to suffer on his-

"SWEET MOTHER OF GOD!" I screamed as a contraction tore through my body.

Duke awoke with a start immediately, Yugi jumping out of his skin. A nurse ducked in as if this was completely normal. Oh wait, it is completely normal. I forgot between screaming out creative curse words and having Duke nearly die of a heart attack after every one that giving birth was actually common.

"OH GOD ALMIGHTY!" I called out as it came to a close.

"Just a few more hours sweetheart," the nurse comforted.

"A few more HOURS?" I bellowed as Duke's face clearly was pained. Ishizu, Marik, Joey, Kaiba, Ryo, Bakura, Tristan and Serenity were sitting in the Waiting Room, because only Yugi and Duke were allowed in for some reason. Huh.

"Yes, honey, and I won't lie to you, it'll get worse and worse, but the second I heard my baby crying, everything was worth it for me. I still love my little baby girl just as much, or maybe even more than when she was first born. She turns seven tomorrow," the nurse's face became completely serene, and I just knew she wasn't lying to me.

I was lost in my own thoughts until I heard screaming from outside the door... very familiar screaming...

"LET ME IN, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!" Ishizu bellowed, her normally quiet, whistling-wind-like voice was raised so high it probably hurt the people's ears, I laughed to myself as Ishizu tore through the door.

"TEA! HE'S COMING!" she screamed at me, I immediately knew what she meant, looking to the clock right as it changed. 11:59 AM. 12:00 PM. And a light filled the room. A familiar face smiled down on them.

"Hi," Atem whispered.

"What y'all looking at?" the nurse asked, looking directly into the light, unaffected.

We were the only ones that could see our old friend.

**Yugi POV**

Holy shit. He's here. He's here. And nobody but us can see him.

"I... have to use the boys room," I mumbled getting up, moving my hand strategically, making my yami realize I was motioning for him to come with me. So he did.

"Just what the mothercrap are you doing here, Yami? Er, Atem." I corrected myself quietly. Just seeing his face sent shivers down my spine. Imagine what happened to me when I heard his voice.

He seemed hurt from my question. Just great.

"I wanted to see my hikari for one last time. I have twelve hours on earth before I have to go back to the Spirit World." he must have seen the lack of emotion change on my face, and he quickly wondered what the fuck was wrong with me. "But I could leave now, if you want. Your wife is pretty close to giving birth." He mumbled dejectedly.

What the fuck is wrong with him. I quickly wondered.

"Are you talking about Tea?" Yami nodded, looking down at the floor. "You mean the girl who married Duke Devlin?" Yami's face lit up, the bubble around his body breaking. He pulled me into a tight hug. That tight hug, Yami's skin against my every line.

Being the idiot that I am, I pulled away.

I pulled away from the life I'd always dreamed of.

Because it was my job to look on with fake happiness as everyone's love stories played out in front of me as I thought, _that should be me._ Now it was... Right?


	3. I Need A Doctor

Princess: This chapter is dedicated to one of my favorite FanFic writers, Queen of the Silent Ones. She's awesome. She also hates that Yami doesn't pay attention to Ryou, so, uh, spoiler?. She also dedicated a chapter to me soooo... yeah. And stuff. Dude, like bro, like word!

Shadow the Cat: …

Princess: Oh come on, like you've never tried to be even remotely before.

Shadow the Cat: The freaky thing is you sound just like my mother.

Princess: … HAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHA

**Atem POV**

**11 Hours 57 Minutes Left**

He didn't want me? It was all for nothing. Every feeling, every scar, every saved day, was for nothing.

How could that even be possible? I've lived for him for five years, I protected him up to the last second. It was insane. Yugi couldn't do that!

But he did.

I felt unloved. The one person I could trust fully didn't even what me. Why the fuck did I come back then? Did he want me to leave? He never answered my question after all.

"Ya- Atem, you still in there?" Yugi's voice called through the darkness that was my mind.

"What?" I asked quickly, his voice doing crazy things do my body. "Oh, yeah... just thinking."

"You wanna see everybody else?" he asked, already leading him to the Waiting Room.

"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, walking slowly behind Yugi, a weird feeling in my feet; like I was floating.

Ishizu saw me first, and she seemed like she didn't really care.

Marik just sat in the chair, looking up from his iPod, where the music was so loud I could make out lyrics.

_I'm about to lose my mind  
>You've been gone for so long<br>I'm running out of time  
>I need a doctor<br>Call me a doctor  
>I need a doctor, doctor<br>To bring me back to life_

Yugi is my doctor. I need him. Right now. He's my oxygen.

There's Ryo! I missed him so much in the Spirit World, his little smile, his nervous eyes as he came back from being Bakura, asking what he did this time.

Serenity was sitting in Tristan's lap just like norma- wait what? Oh, they got together. I wondered when they would become a item.

Bakura was sitting next to Ryo, holding his hand. Bakura had somehow sweet-talked his way into staying in the modern world. Huh, why hadn't I tried that? Oh yeah, because I enjoy following the rules. Classic Bakura, he didn't give a crap for the rules. Ha, I'd missed that cool indifference.

Kaiba was sitting across from Serenity, Joey sitting in his lap like a puppy. Joey, Joey, Joey, when did this happen? I have been waiting for this for years you moron.

Everyone was shocked, horrified, and happy, all at once.

"Hi there," I mumbled almost incoherently.

They all mouthed 'hi' back, their eyes stuck on my face.

Marik got up to walk over to me, and someone called to him.

"Hey, dude! Yeah you! Your butt has something on it; MY EYES!" we all laughed and I explained what got me here in Tea's room. She asked directly for us to be able to come in to pass the time.

**Tea POV**

**11 Hours 13 Minutes Left**

I sat and stared as Ya- I mean Atem, had this amazing story about his life in the Spirit World. His run ins with Mana and Seto. It sounded fun, and his face looked like he had fun, and his voice screamed FUN but some underlying tone in his face said otherwise.

It was rather obvious. If everything was good between Yugi and Atem, they would not be able to stop glomping each other. But no, they were as far away from each other as physically possible without leaving the room. They were mad at each other for some reason.

What the fuck was wrong with them?

Whatever it was, it was big enough to stop them from hugging.

"... and then Mana jumped – you heard me right, JUMPED – on top of me from the rafters, screaming, 'I'm going to kill you'." Everyone started laughing. Everyone but Yugi. He just sort of snorted. It was as if he really didn't even want any of this to still exist, but as though he needed this tension like oxygen to breathe. It was strange being around them when they were like this.

But I had no choice. So I sat back and waited until I needed to push.

**Yugi POV**

**10 Hours 26 Minutes Left**

What the fuck is wrong with me? Why did I pull away? Why did I sit across the whole friggen room from him? Why did I win that friggen duel, making this happen? It's all my friggen fault.

Blame me.

Hate me.

I need to be hated.

I need people to say how terrible I am.

I need to be confirmed.

Maybe if my heart stops beating, then it won't hurt this much.

Maybe if I took my heart out myself, then everything will be OK.

Maybe if I could only bring myself to rip myself away from my home.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I would give up everything I had in a heartbeat for this weird Egyptian.

Everything.

Even my own life.

Huh.


	4. Seed Of Suicide

Princess: This is fun writing... I kinda wrote a song about this story.

Shadow the Cat: Yeah, I heard you. It's very nice. And, question?

Princess: Wwwwaaaazzzzuuuup?

Shadow the Cat: What's the song Marik is listening to in the last chapter on his iPod?

Princess: It was one of my favorites; I Need A Doctor by Eminem ft. Skylar Grey and Dr. Dre. There will be more songs coming up that'll mean a lot to the plot, so calm down ya music geeks.

Shadow the Cat: Another question.

Princess: Go for it.

Shadow the Cat: Why are you always changing the Pharaoh's name in this fic?

Princess: It's supposed to signify that they all still know him as Yami, their friend who stuck by them forever, not Atem, who ran away when the mention of death came up.

Shadow the Cat: … Okaaayyyy, moving right along...

**Atem POV**

**10 Hours 25 Minutes**

I watched Yugi hide the fact that he was beating himself up over something, my voice never faltering from the funny story about Mana and Seto. I watched his face light up at a thought in an evil way and I knew something was going to happen. I knew my hikari, and something was VERY wrong.

Better watch out for him.

Because that is my job. Protecting my hikari. Protecting him from people hurting him, and keeping him from hurting himself.

I still remember the Afterlife after I had gotten bored with it.

People were always asking me what was wrong and what they could do to help. Seto had screamed at me that this was Heaven; no one is allowed to be sad here!

But I was.

Every night I would scream out for my hikari, and my mother would come running. Everyone could hear me and after that, everyone would look at me like I was insane.

Maybe I was. But that's beside the point.

I looked to Yugi, and saw that he wasn't even paying attention. That was halfway good. With the looks I just noticed I was getting indicated that my expression was probably something that Yugi shouldn't see.

"Yugi," Tea asked quietly, Yugi looked at her, still in a daze. "Ear?" she muttered, letting Yugi know she wanted to talk to him. She grabbed his wrists, pulling him towards her.

I should be doing that. I should be holding his wrists lightly. But I would've pinned him to the floor and made sure he didn't do something incredibly stupid.

Because because doing incredibly stupid things was, or rather, IS my job.

**Tea POV**

**10 Hours 18 Minutes Left**

I needed to tell Yugi something. Something that I know no one else would have the guts to say, even it they knew.

So I whispered the truth in Yugi's little ear.

And there it was.

Yugi was so out of it, he had to turn the message over and over in his head before it made sense.

Yugi then put two and two together.

He yanked his wrists back, pulling his whole head back in a jerky movement.

Then he looked at Atem, and frowned, only to be met by a blank look.

He was off in his world, thinking.

I wonder what's he's thinking about... something very important to him, that's for sure.

I looked back to Yugi.

The look on his face will haunt me for the rest of eternity.

The look you always see on people before they jump off that ledge. The look of fear at first when they jump, then total peace envelopes them as they fall through the sky, only to be met by the cold, hard ground.

Why am I even thinking this stuff? There is no fucking way Yugi would be THAT stupid. No way.

… Right?

**Yugi POV**

**10 Hours 16 Minutes Left**

He is impossible to trust.

That's one of the reasons I loved him so much.

He trusted me, and I trusted him with my life.

Wait... that sounded wrong.

No it didn't.

Well, at least not to me.

Does that mean...?

Oh, God no. God Almighty, please make it not true.

The words Tea whispered, they made sense where I didn't want them to.

"_Think, Yugi. Think why Yami came back. He came back because he needs you..._

"_Because he loves you."_

But that's not possible!

Because I can't love anyone who loves me back.

It's my job to be the insecure little child who is always rejected by the people he needs most.

I've been rejected once by this son of a bitch, and it won't happen again.

Because I love this son of a bitch.

More than my own friggen life.

My life means nothing compared to what I feel.

Absolutely nothing...

Good idea, Yugi Moto.

Let's do this shindig.


	5. Whispers Of Tears And Fears

Princess: *stretches out fingers, neck, back, shoulders, ect ect ect* Ahhh, chapter 5... Never thought I'd get this far in a book about card games... WHICH I DO NOT OWN...

Shadow the Cat: Yeah... quick question... 'Shindig'?

Princess: … I have three older brothers, and my parents were twenty-ish when the seventies rolled around.

Shadow the Cat: So? How does that factor into any of this?

Princess: … *Ishizu voice* Because shut up. But yeah, this chapter is pretty much just filler to get us from 10 hours down to about 7. Haha, sorry it took so long, but I hit a brick wall while writing it.

**Atem POV**

**9 Hours 56 Minutes Left**

Whoa, whatever Tea said had Yugi shooting death rays at me. And I felt each little one of them.

But that didn't stop Joey from saying something that had nothing to do with any if this.

"So, 'Tem, ya wanna go see da town? Dere's been a few changes." he said, he Brooklyn accent making everything funny. You'll find a lot of accents in the Afterlife, but Joey's was one that no one could possibly copy.

"Yeah, sure, I guess," but then I knew that only my friends could see me, so it would be rather weird for people to see them just break out laughing and talking to air. "But wouldn't people think you were," I motioned to my head, making circles on my temple, "wrong in the head?"

Joey laughed and shifted his weight in Kaiba's lap, snuggling into his neck. A slight purring noise came from his throat when Kaiba 's fingers danced across Joey's back.

"I don't care," Kaiba said in a surprisingly sweet voice, "do you care, Puppy?" he asked Joey.

Aw, 'Puppy'? That's adorable.

"Not aht all, Rich Boy," Joey responded, smiling. Then he looked to me. "Sooo, ya wanna come wit' us?"

Ummm... uhhh...

"Totally!" I said, smiling, "Yugi? Marik? Ishizu? Bakura? Ryo? You coming?" Yugi looked like he didn't expect me to even look at him, less yet converse with him.

"Yeah sure..." Yugi responded, looking to the floor and getting up, moving to Tea's bedside.

She smiled at him, and reached out her arms for a hug. Yugi surrendered himself to her arms, hugging her like a true friend. Then she whispered in his ear again.

He nodded and stepped away from her.

"I can't; Tea needs me," Ishizu said, then laughed.

"Yeah!" Marik yelled, "Hey sis, can we take your car? I don't think I can fit five on Samantha,"

Samantha?

"Samantha is Marik's motorcycle," Tea explained,

Marik named his motorcycle Samantha. Oookaaaayyyy...

"We can't," Bakura and Ryo said at the same time, their voices overlapping sweetly. "We actually have to get home. Sorry Tea, hey, Duke? Could you call us when it's close to time?" Ryo's sugary voice mumbled, he was blushing, embarrassed about either what he said or what he was about to do.

"Whaddya gotta do?" I asked them, and Bakura answered, and Ryo didn't like that.

"We have to go have sex." he responded simply.

Okay... Awkward.

But Yugi just quietly got up and smiled.

Yugi smiled at us as we walked out that door, on his face was the smile that I remembered fighting alongside. That little smile that was just so inviting. This was my Yugi. This was the Yugi who I remembered but tried to forget in the Afterlife.

This was the Yugi that I... loved.

**Tea POV**

**9 Hours 52 Minutes Left**

Yami's face changed, from a sort of, 'I'm-deep-in-thought-so-if-you-interrupt-me-I'll-kill-you-where-you-stand' to some kind of, 'oh, hi there,' look right after I whispered, 'now's your chance,' in Yugi's ear.

They left then, Yami- er, Atem just stared at Yugi. His face had a new resolve about it, he looked like a guy on a mission, a mission to protect. Come to think of it, he looks like he used to, back when we didn't know who he was, back when evil arose, we didn't after to be afraid because he would be there to protect us. He no longer looked like some great big king who was above _everyone_ else, even if he says he's just a normal human.

He now looked like Yugi's yami.

**Yugi POV**

**9 Hours 47 Minutes**

We walked through the busy hospital in a thick cloud of silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable silence, more like we were conversing over our eyes and minds.

Marik was trying to remember what CDs he put in Ishizu's car.

Joey was wondering what Yami thought about PDA.

Seto was thinking about where the closest janitor's closet was.

Yami was the one person's thought's I couldn't decipher.

But as we walked out of the hospital, I could _hear_ Yami's gasp when he saw Ishizu's car.

That beautiful car. It was a show-off-y lime green 2010 Camaro with black race stripes.

"She loves Ben-10," Marik explained quickly as he lowered himself into the front seat.

Everyone went to their seat, Joey and Seto sitting together in the back seats, Marik driving, with me in the passenger side, but, to my surprise, Yami got there first, and motioned for me to sit in his lap. His arms open, his eyes smiling.

So I did. I cuddled up in his lap, and his arms wound around me. I don't know why I did it, I just did.

The moment was perfect.

I wished that the world would just stop, so I could live in this moment for the rest of eternity. Yami's arms around my body, his exotic scent wafting through my nose, his overly warm body against my every line. I loved it.

Princess: If you're wondering and you don't have cartoon-obsessed friends who can't go a day without watching an episode of Ben 10, then you don't know that Kevin's car looks almost exactly like a lime green 2010 Camaro.

Shadow the Cat: WITH BLACK RACESTRIPES!

Princess: I would just like to let you know that me and my family are going on vacay and I may or may not be able to get an internet connection so this might be the last anything posted for the next couple weeks. We're leaving at like 5 in the morning on Friday. :D

Shadow the Cat: Have fun being completely robbed of all sleep on Thursday night!

Princess: OF COURSE I WILL! 3 Enjoy your summer!


	6. Papa's Gon' Buy U A Mockingbird

Princess: Ahh, chapter six... This chapter was entirely inspired by Eminem's songs. lol No joke!

Shadow the Cat: I thought you were forbidden from listening to Eminem.

Princess: If you say one more mothercrapping word I'll burn you alive.

Shadow the Cat: Damn his daughter Hailie is one hot- *gets shot by Eminem*

Princess: Thanks.

Eminem: *puts gun back on table* Yeah no problem. Anytime.

Princess: Wanna go party?

Eminem: Fuck yeah.

Princess: What should we do with the cat?

Eminem: Fuck the cat, I got a six pack of beer in my car.

Princess: PARTY TIME!

**Atem POV**

**9 Hours 38 Minutes Left**

Oh my fucking Ra.

Yugi is sitting in my lap.

My lap.

My hikari is here.

And it's so perfect; this is the thing that I've waited for. The thing I couldn't find in Mana. This was the person that I needed in life and death.

But I can't have him. Death has no hold on him, I have no hold on him. I nervously checked my stopwatch. 9:37. 9:36.

"We gotta go to the Game Shop first so I can pick up my deck." Yugi said to Marik, pointing in the direction of my old house.

Marik drove where Yugi pointed to, the Eminem song Mockingbird pounding through the speakers. It made me feel like crying. It reminded me that I once felt like Yugi was my son, and I wouldn't let anything happen to him. Now I know why I didn't feel like that anymore. It was because I stopped loving him that way, and starting loving him in a way I could never find in any other person. But even though I love him, it isn't worth it to tell him.

I don't want to hurt him anymore.

And by telling him, I fear it might hurt him more if he knew how much I needed him, and he was then ripped away from my side.

I always half-hoped that Yugi went on with his life when I left, maybe even fell in love. But maybe I subconsciously hoped that he would be hurt by my leaving, then it would mean that Yugi needed me as much as I needed him. Then everything would be perfect as it is right now.

But we both knew that this was far was perfect.

This was just an act of love, and that this small act was just a small step down the road to eternal pain and suffering that was love.

And then Yugi shifted his weight in my lap and I became extremely aroused.

I let out a quiet groan, and Yugi, of course, heard it. So he sat himself right back down on my weak point, and I smiled at the feeling.

I don't know why, but I tightened my grip on Yugi's small frame, pulling him into my broad chest and cradling him. I never want to let him go.

Back off bitches, he's mine.

**Tea POV**

**9 Hours 33 Minutes Left**

As my contraction ripped through my body, I thought about what I'll do when this baby is born.

What will I name it?

Will it be a boy or a girl?

Will it look like Duke or me or both of us?

I don't know. I really don't know.

Will it adore Yugi like an uncle?

What will it think of the guys? Would they be like uncles to him?

What will it think of the story of how this all happened?

All this shit happened from Yugi finishing a puzzle. All this shit led me to finding the hotness that is Duke Devlin.

If this hadn't happened, I bet that me and Yugi would never have gotten this close, and I wouldn't have met Yami, and the evil that he was constantly fending off wouldn't have led me to meeting Duke. Even if at the time he was considered evil...

I still love that man no matter what. (A/N I hate that song. No Matter What by Mike Pasternack. I think it's the worst song ever invented.)

I will miss this hospital room, even though it's only caused me pain, it is full of great memories. Like meeting Atem again.

I will never forget this day for the rest of my life.

**Yugi POV**

**9 Hours 32 Minutes Left**

Ahhh, this is like heaven.

I'm sitting on Yami's bulge, and he's moaning and groaning with pleasure.

"Uhh, we're h-" Marik didn't even get to finish, before Joey slapped a hand over his mouth, silencing him.

I wonder what he was going to say.

Oh wait, no I don't.

I could feel the bulge in my pants, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Joey duck out of the car and go inside my house. Then he came back with my deck of Duel Monsters, but I didn't care.

I'm too busy considering how I should turn around. So I just spun myself around so I was facing the guy I needed. I pushed him against the seats, as if I never wanted him to leave this car.

I don't think I wanted him to leave this car.

I didn't want him to leave this world.

I wanted to push my face into his and kiss those pink lips.

But I never get what I want.

I just shoved my head down, under his chin, and cuddled myself closer to him, my ass pressed firmly to his manhood.

He smelled like lotuses

I mentally locked that scent away in my mind so I could grab onto it later.

Because _when_ he left, I will try to remember this day, this day when my life went back to the way I'd hoped and wished for, for a year.

Thank you for giving that back to me, Yami.

I guess you want to be called 'Atemu (1)' now, but I don't think I could bare to even think that. That was the person who betrayed me after the years we spent together.

After all we went through, the man called Atemu destroyed it all.

But after all we went through, Yami stuck by us, protected us, and... loved us.

I think.

Princess: *partyin' hard with Eminem* BEST. PARTY. EVER!

Eminem: *partyin' as hard as the Princess* I've had better.

Princess: *sneak attack, tackling Eminem* Oh really?

Eminem: OK, I haven't been to a better party...

Princess: There you go! *gets up off the floor* And to the readers, I know I've told you this a million times, but I don't really want people to think I've forgotten about my fanfics. I would like to officially announce that I'm on vacation, and the only reason I was able to upload this was because I got an internet connection. So there is a rather large chance that in about two weeks, I will upload, like, three chapters all at once. LOL! Have a great 4th of July! - Princess

Eminem: Yeah, and shit.

Princess: WITH PONIES!


	7. Kill The Person You Love

Princess: Ha, I have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen in this chapter.

Eminem: I'm gonna get outta here. See-ya later, Princess.

Princess: Yeah! *hugs very attractive male rapper* Bye-bye. Thanks for coming down!

Ghost of Shadow the Cat: Yeah thank you for _murdering me!_

Princess: Yeah and thanks for murdering that really annoying character off even though she technically can't be killed since she's my original character or OC...

Ghost of Shadow the Cat: I'm not an OC, I'm your real-life cat.

Eminem: Anytime! She really is annoying, and it was fun.

Princess: Awesome. Anyway, pretty soon you readers are gonna meet my hikari. Her name is Pie and she is rather strange... Anyway, I'm cutting Tea out of the POVs for a couple chapters, just because she drags with useless things. In her place will be Atem's mother, watching him from the Afterlife, who I always call Nanu, which is Ancient Egyptian for 'beautiful', and that's how I've always imagined her. AND I don't remember the last episode AT ALL so forgive me if I change it up a bit. :P

**Atem POV**

**9 Hours 31 Minutes**

Yugi is going to kiss me. I know he is. He's going to lean in, and he's going to put his lips on mine, and our lips will move together for as long as we can hold our breath. I will say, 'I love you forever, nothing can keep us apart, not even death', and he will say... something. Wait, what is this? Why didn't he kiss me?

Why?

Did he not want me?

Did he not love me?

Was I disgusting?

Did he find somebody else? That would be... fair. Fair, but still torture.

Maybe he doesn't know... how I feel.

Maybe I should tell him...?

But what's the use? We won't be able to be together anyway. I'll be leaving in a few hours.

And that's when Marik's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

He had been nervously looking in the mirror ever since we started driving through town, almost asking Joey if it was OK to talk. Joey nodded.

"OK, what to expect... Kaiba had his henchmen paint murals all over the city and harbor as a memorial for, uh, us." I looked up, and Marik pointed to the ground.

It was huge, and RA was it beautiful.

"...What is that?" I asked in amazement.

When you live in Ancient Egypt, you see a lot of big stuff, but you never see anything like _this._

"You," Kaiba answered simply.

I then recognized the body and face that looked like Yugi. That was me.

I was dueling, in the same exact spot from Battle City, when I dueled Strings.

It was like looking through a glass floor from below, his feet firmly planted upside-down; it looked like if you flipped the ground, the man who looked like Yugi and the man who I dueled so very long ago would be standing where we are parked right now..

It was the person I used to be, wearing Yugi's normal apparel, leather jacket, pants, shoes. He was wearing a duel disk on his arm, a look of pure determination on his face.

I wish I was still that man, locked inside this teenager's body, not knowing anything but the innocence of his host.

I will never be able to go back to that, no matter how much I wanted it.

But that doesn't mean that I don't want that, my old life, my friends, my beloved...

**Nanu POV**

**9 Hours 16 Minutes**

So this is the boy who stole my son's heart. Yugi was his name? I know what he means to Atemie.

The world.

Everything.

When I first saw him walk towards those doors and to the Afterlife, I was ecstatic. My son is here with me after so long waiting! But then I saw these depressed eyes, and nine people behind him, all sadness hidden in their eyes. But one child stood out.

He was on his hands and knees, crying.

He was the spitting image of my son.

He lifted his head, showing his amethyst eyes, his face covered with salt water tears.

"Please don't leave me yet," he begged, and Atemu looked as if he would start sobbing as well.

But my boy put on a face of determination, happiness, peace.

But it was all a lie.

He hugged that boy tight, and a single tear escaped down his face. Saying goodbye.

His crying beg hurt Atemie more than I've ever seen him hurt before, and I'm his _mother._ When his heart was first broken (A/N that's an OC of mine... I think he should of dated a girl in the past and she had to leave and that's one of the reasons he's cold), he was more depressed than I've ever seen _anyone._ And this was worse.

To his knowledge, I don't know about Yugi.

What he doesn't know is he talks in his sleep. (A/N XD)

He told me everything about modern times in Japan without even knowing it.

He even sang the song I used to sing him to get him to fall asleep for his 'Hikari', as he called him.

"_I love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my Hikari you'll be," _(A/N That's the song from the book my mommy used to read to me, Love You Forever)

He, nightly, would speak the words that made me fill with joy.

"_I love you always, Yugi,"_

It made me proud to be the mother of him, but it also made me terribly sad. The person he loved, needed, wanted, couldn't belong to him. Death couldn't touch him.

Not until his time.

Which is something only elders of this place know.

If you live here long enough, you can see the life span and cause of death of someone. Atem hadn't lived long enough here to know that Yugi's time was approaching fast and there was nothing anyone could do now that Atemu had already went to Earth.

He began a chain that ended in his own lover's death.

He was unknowingly killing the one person he wanted with all his heart to stay alive.

**Yugi POV**

**8 Hours 29 Minutes**

We randomly drove around town to places where me and Yami dueled.

Marik felt a bit more comfortable as the CD he was playing finished, and he slid in another mix tape, but this one was various artists.

Time slid by quickly, laughs filled the car as everyone sang off-key to songs.

Choruses melding into new songs.

Each one I could personally identify with.

It creeped me out, man.

_I don't know how I got this way, I'll never be alright, so I'm Breaking the Habit... Tonight _(A/N Breaking The Habit – Linkin Park)

_It's like a paranoid, lookin' over my back. It's like a, whirlwind, inside of my head. It's like I, can't stop what I'm feeling within, IT'S LIKE THE FACE INSIDE IS RIGHT! BENEATH MY SKIN!_ (A/N Papercut – Linkin Park)

_You've never been so used as I'm using you, abusing you, my little decoy! Don't look so blue, you shouldda seen RIGHT through, I'm using you, my little deCOY! _(A/N Decoy – Paramore)

_All this time you were pretending, SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING! _(A/N My Happy Ending – Avril Lavigne)

_Won't someone stop this song? So I don't sing along! Someone stop this song, so I won't sing! Your lovesick melody, is gonna get the best o' me tonight, but you won't get to me... IF I DON'T SING! It creeps in, like a spider, that can't be killed, although I've tried and tried to. Well, don't you see? I'm falling... don't wanna love you... but I do..._ (A/N Stop This Song - Paramore)

I don't particularly _want_ to love my yami.

…

But I do.

Princess: I'm here! Do not worry, my freakishly small fanbase! I have internet connection! \ (^ _ ^) /

Pie: Hi there! You'll learn more about me in the next chapter... hey Princess?

Princess: Yeah sweets?

Pie: look at what me big brother got me at Cape Tradewins! *shows off little necklace with a silver and black turtle that her older brother Phil got her. Thanks btw Phiwy*

Princess: Pretty! :D


	8. You Make Me So HOT

Princess: Hhhheeeerrrreee'sssss JOHNNY!... I mean Princess... Oh my God... chapter 8... Is this real life?

Pie: Uh-huh, it is real life. AND I gave Shadow a new body!

Shadow the Cat: It's gonna be really hard to get rid of me.

Princess: Oh God...

Pie: Don't worry, I made it so she could only appear twice per chapter. Whaddya think Shadow?

Shadow the Cat: You're not gonna be able to catch me in that trap... Oh for the love of crap.

Pie: Yep. That's the last time Shadow will be able to appear in this chapter!

Princess: I love you so much.

Pie: *Duke Devlin voice* Yah, I know.

**Atem POV**

**8 Hours 23 Minutes**

Life is hard. Death is easy. But being in between is the worst kind of torture. I know that I'm going back to that place in... eight hours and twenty-two minutes. And knowing that it won't be enough... makes me feel like crap.

Nothing is ever enough.

It just makes me wanna punch a baby seal in the face. (A/N okay... random...)

It's just not fair.

But the world isn't ruled by fairness.

I learned that when my girlfriend from Egypt broke up with me.

Her name was Akenia (A/N just made that up right now XD) and I was head over heels for her.

The galaxy revolved around her, I made sure of that.

Her long, curly, light brown hair always fell perfectly on her hips, her tan eyes like the sand itself. Her sun kissed skin, it all used to be the thing I always wanted, the thing I compared all other women to.

And then Yugi came into the picture, and all feelings for her were immediately lost.

When Akenia broke up with me, she said that there was too much of a difference. In everything.

I put on an emotionless mask, and watched as she walked out the doors. But as soon as she was out of sight, I broke down.

My family had weird ways of trying to make me feel better. I specifically remember my older, eighteen-year-old – and two years my senior - sister Baset saying to me, months after Akenia broke up with me, "Ya know Ahhtemieee? She had a very man-like ass."

I always hated how she would pronounce that. (A/N I can totally relate! I have about, ah, three trillion nicknames, all pronounced as stupidly as possible just to annoy the everloving crap outta me)

I gave Baset my death glare, but, of course, the one person who I _actually_ want to bow down and worship me is completely immune to my glares. Why Ra? Why?

I let out a short laugh, wondering who I would have been if I had never had Baset's unwavering love.

I mean, I hate her for putting me through seventeen years of torture, but she's my sister, I love her, I'd die for her in a heartbeat.

Ha, I guess I did.

"Now what?" Kaiba snapped me from my thoughts, Joey still cupped in his chest.

Yugi looked at me, and from the position he was in, he had to look up at me, the hurtful thing was, in the position he was in, he looked like a slapped puppy.

"Can we go back to the Game Shop? Maybe we could have a good game of Duel Monsters or something." he asked, and I smiled encouragingly down at him.

"I would like that a lot." I happily stated, and Marik started driving again. A new song started on the CD.

_You're so good to me, baby, baby... I wanna lock you up in my closet, when no one's around. I wanna put you're hand in my pocket, because you're allowed. I wanna drive you into the corner, and kiss you without a sound. I wanna stay this way forever, I'll say it loud. Now you're in, and you can't get out! You make me so HOT make me wanna DROP you're so ridiculous, I can barely stop. I can hardly BREATHE YOU MAKE ME WANNA SCREAM! You're so fabulous, you're so good to me, baby, baby! You're so good to me, baby baby. I can make you feel all better, just take it in. I can show you all the places, you've never been. And I can make you say everything, that you've never said. And I will let you do anything, again and again. Now you're in, and you can't get out. You make me so HOT make me wanna DROP you're so ridiculous, I can barely stop. I can hardly BREATHE YOU MAKE ME WANNA SCREAM! You're so fabulous, you're so good to me, baby, baby! You're so good to me, baby baby. Kiss me gently. Always, I know. Hold me, love me, don't ever go... YOU MAKE ME SO HOT make me wanna drop YOU'RE SO RIDICULOUS, I CAN BARELY STOP I CAN HARDLY BREATH YOU MAKE ME WANNA SCREAM you're so fabulous, you're so GOOD to ME. You make me so hot, make me wanna drop you're so ridiculous, I can barely STOP I can hardly BREATHE you make me wanna SCREAM you're so good to ME. Baby baby you're so good to me, baby baby, you're so good. _(A/N lot to read there, ah champ? Hot by Avril Lavigne)

I blushed cherry red at the song; I could see it in the mirror.

Yugi probed my eyes, in the process, probing my soul.

I can barely take this anymore! Why does he torture me so? And then I noticed the car pull to a halt, and we were there. Marik turned the car off, and the silence was deafening, now that there was no longer the constant purr of the engine to protect me from the quiet that welcomed new threats.

"Here we are," Kaiba said nonchalantly, opening the door and stepping out, Joey in toe.

Yugi opened the door, then clutched me tighter.

He wanted me to carry him into the shop.

So I did.

And as Marik pushed open the door, Gramps damn near had a heart attack.

"... Yami...?"

**Nanu POV**

**8 Hours 16 Minutes**

He's thinking about Akenia.

She was a sweetheart, but the problem was she wasn't Atemu's sweetheart.

She ended up marrying a peasant's son, and they lived happily ever after with three children.

This boy is Atemu's 'peasant's son'.

But what they don't understand is you can't have a Happily Ever After without potholes that seemed more like the face of the moon. But once you got into that bowl-like hole, and put in a whole lot of elbow grease and a whole lot of love, it becomes that small pothole that you can hop over in a fluid movement.

That's all it takes.

But it's harder than it seems. Knowing you love the person is only lowering yourself down the crest, and the both of them are already lost.

**Yugi POV**

**8 Hours 16 Minutes**

"Yeah it's me," Yami responded to Grampa's inquiry. "Long story short, I'll be on Earth for..." he checked his watch, "eight more hours and only my friends can see me."

Grampa wasn't new to the whole Egyptian magical-whatever thing, so he really didn't have a problem with this.

"OK," he mumbled, going back to work putting up Black Luster Soldier posters.

"Let's go," I whispered to Yami, my hand snaking into his. "Hey, can you guys pick us up when we call?" I didn't even turn to look at them, I just said it.

"Ahkay," Marik answered, ushering Joey and Kaiba out. "See ya soon,"

I led Yami up the stairs to the room he had passed through night after countless night, comforting me after a particularly hard battle.

I looked around the room with brand new eyes (A/N Paramore reference FTW), seeing where I sat one terrible night, crying my eyes out.

Yami had come over to me from across the room; he was translucent, I couldn't feel him at all, but I could hold him if I ever wanted to. But he was still the most calming thing in the world to me. He'd put his hand on my shoulder, staring into my eyes.

"Yugi," he'd said in that confident voice I wished I owned, "don't think what you're thinking. We did an _amazing_ job out there today. Don't let what that retard get you down." that had immediately cheered me, for the reason I don't know.

I sat down on my bed, thinking again about all the crap we'd been through together, never leaving each other's minds.

Yami sat down on the floor, looking around my room. I could see it in his eyes, he was reminiscing about the times here too.

Yami looked into my eyes, and I knew then that no matter how many layers I put on, his ruby eyes will always see right though me.

That's the last thing I remember before I drifted off to sleep.

Princess: I know, it's a really sucky way to cut hours off of this fanfic, but I don't want to look back at this on chapter 32 and think, 'oh for the love of crap. I could've cut down on this so easily.'

Pie: Yeah... and there will be some invasion of privacy in the next chapter! ;D

Princess: And stuff...

Pie: WITH PONIES! If you're wondering why me and Princess do that, it's because of YGOTAS.

Princess: *nodding* Episode 51: The Death Of Tristan Taylor. "You will enter a world of unending pain and torment! And uhh, ponies." So whenever anyone says 'and stuff' we say 'with ponies'.

Pie & Princess: And that's where that came from. And stuff. WITH PONIES. *start laughing their sexy asses off*


	9. The Worst Part Of You Is Me

Princess: Just a warning but there will probably be lots of references to Linkin Park 'cause I just got back into them. Again.

Pie: Lovely. Now get on with the fic, I'm bored and wanna read.

Princess: 'Kay sweetie. And there will also be call-backs to my earlier fanfic Sweet Dreams, but that doesn't really matter. This can be read as a stand-alone. And if you're wondering, I immediately loved the song The Catalyst by Linkin Park, so it will be referenced a trillion times in this chapter. I think it's one of the best songs/music videos of all time. OF ALL TIME! XD Let's have some mother[bleep]ing fun!

**Atem POV**

**8 Hours 13 Minutes**

He's asleep. And he looks like a fallen angel.

I just sat there adoring him, I don't know how long I did, but when I looked out the window, the sun was burning in the window; almost ready to set. I checked my watch.

**7 Hours 26 Minutes**

I got up, startled by the time.

What should I do? Wake Yugi up?

No way.

So I looked around the room for something to occupy my mind and hands. (A/N LOL I can think of a few things...)

Not much had changed.

There were only two differences; the pillow I had given Yugi was clutched tightly in his arms, and there was this huge-ass padlock on a desk drawer over by the window where Yugi had put together the Millennium Puzzle.

Aww, he kept the pillow I gave him! Cute...

But what really caught my attention was the padlock. From my memory, Yugi didn't really keep anything he wanted to keep hidden in that drawer. His diary was in there, but he didn't really care if someone read that. Wait, what if he cared _now? _That would explain the padlock, but it doesn't explain the need I had to open that drawer and read that diary.

I walked over to the drawer slowly, just waiting for Yugi to wake up and say, 'What are you doing?'

But I pressed on. The padlock was soon in my hands, and I realized it didn't need a key, but a number. Four numbers, to be exact. Probably a date or a time, I thought.

What number is Yugi obsessed with? Well, when I knew him, he had a Doomsday Clock set up on his wall, and he would set it to the time whenever it changed. I looked around trying to think what time it would be set at right now, when I spotted it still hanging there, on the wall. 11:54. Ah, good. Last time I was here, it was 11:55. (A/N I don't know if it's changed since 2010, so if it's changed, please tell me. I wanna know :D)

But anyway, I inserted the numbers, not even knowing why. It could be any number.

1

1

5

4

Click.

The lock clicked open, and fell into my hands.

I slid the drawer open, and there it was. A thick brown leather book sat there, and I reached in to pick it up.

It was worn from being opened day after day, but it still looked new. I opened up to April, the month I left for the Afterlife. I flipped through the tiring detailed entries, until I found what I was looking for.

April 27. The day after I left.

_April 27_

_God bless us, everyone. We're a broken people, we live under a loaded gun. And it can't be outfought, it can't be outdone, it can't be outmatched, it can't be outrun, no._

_April 28_

_God save us, everyone, when we burn inside the fires of a thousand suns for the sins of our people._

I tried to flip through, hoping that, the farther I went, the more sane it would get, more like the Yugi I knew. But it was the opposite.

_July 29_

_Memories are in cold decay, waiting for the day when I don't wake up._

_August 17_

_Tonight when I go to sleep, oceans will fall down my cheeks._

_November 2_

_Far from the worlds of you and I, where the oceans of my tears bleed into the sky. My transmissions of emotions echo away. And when I close my eyes tonight, to symphonies of blinding light, awaiting me to run into The Light. I try every night, but I always awake before I get there. _(A/N …. this came from my head people O_o)

_November 30_

_God help me. I will pull out my razor sharp knife tonight, and put it to my wrists. Goodbye._

_December 31_

_My eyes will close to the water on my face, the blood on my wrists, the sound of Tea's voice as she found me in the bath tub. Again._

_February 12_

_I'm nothing without him._

_March 24_

_Lift me up, Lord, let me go._

_March 29_

**_Lift me up let me go _**

I hoped this entry would be halfway sane. It was yesterday's, so maybe Yugi had calmed his hardened suicidal entries.

_June 19_

_Please Lord God, just take me now. Lift me up. Let me go. I'm one step closer to the edge, I'm about to break. No more sorrow please, just take me. I've just become so numb, I can't feel any emotion other than sadness. I'm crawling in my skin, these wounds, they will not heal. Grandpa calls them 'paper cuts' on my wrists. I don't want to feel like this in the end, I want to break this habit of the knife. Just __take me please Lord, I don't care if you give me to Satan and leave me to burn inside the fires of a thousand suns, just lift me up from this world. I take everything from the inside, and just throw it all away. I threw away my other soul. I threw away my emotions. I threw away my life. Take everything from the inside, just take everything. I'm done with this world. Lord have mercy. Please. Lift me up, let me go. Let me fall down to earth with a bang, and just die. I don't want to exist in this world anymore. Take me. No turning back now. The very worst part of him was me. _(A/N did that for the hardcore LP lovers! XD)

…

What happened to you Yugi?

I need to protect you from something I've never had to protect you from before.

Yourself.

I put the book back in the drawer and carefully put the lock back on, spinning the numbers around until there was no way they were once a simple number like 1 1 5 4.

I crawled over to his bedside, and slid myself in beside him. I picked him up in my arms and sang to his sleeping frame.

"_I love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long I'm living, my baby you'll be."_

And I laid down beside him, clinging to every open part there was, and I drifted off to sleep myself.

I was perfectly calm.

**Nanu POV**

**6 Hours 58 Minutes**

It's almost never good to read someone's diary, but, sometimes, a quick look inside their mind and heart and soul is something of a necessity.

Atemie has just seen a side of Yugi he had wished was nonexistent. But who in their right mind has never thought of suicide at some point? Maybe to get back at somebody? Maybe because of something that happened?

Atemie knew that, he just didn't know how far along Yugi was. (A/N oh great, I just made it sound like Yugi was preggy preg)

I just hope what's meant to happen, doesn't happen.

**Yugi POV**

**5 Hours 46 Minutes**

No, please, whoever is in charge of dreams, please change this. I know what this is about.

I was a child, maybe twelve, when this happened.

The memory started to play out on the backs of my eyelids, as if I was reliving every hurt and feeling.

The front door slammed, and I immediately wished I was at my Grampa's Game Shop, so I wouldn't have to live through this again. He'd been drinking again, I could already smell the alcohol from the closet where I was hiding.

I was royally screwed either way, because if I stayed here, he's definitely find me sooner or later, and if I tried to sneak out and run to Grampa's, he'd find me and probably be angrier.

One time I'd tried to tell Momma, but she only put her hand on my mouth and said, "Hush hush, child, Papa's only gone for a moment."

"Yuuug-hhiii!" he called out, "Where's my little boy? I miss you! I wanna see you!"

I didn't move.

"Yugi MOTO! Get chor ASS over HERE right NOW!" he screamed, and I flinched, but didn't move. I was listening to his footfalls; they were getting closer to me with every passing second.

Soon I could see the bottoms of his shoes right outside the door, his shadow falling through the holes in the thin door. It was the only thing separating me from my nightmare right now.

He opened the door, damn near ripping it off it's hinges.

He smiled. "There you are. I've been looking for you."

He grabbed my hand.

"No Daddy! Please please please no-"

"Hush," he hissed in my ear as he pushed me down on the kitchen floor.

I was preparing myself, tensing every muscle in my body, but it still came as a shock.

His tight fist hit my stomach and doubled over on myself, curling into a binding, 'protecting' ball.

He pulled at me, hard, trying to get me to lay out again. I couldn't help but agree when he whispered in my ear, 'what do you think will happen to Mommy if you keep doing this? You belong to me.'

He pulled at my chin, and fit me in between his legs.

~.~.~`+`~.~.~

I stumbled into the shower, feeling dirty, like the water would wash away how pathetic I was. Maybe then me and Momma could run away and never come back. Maybe if I had a smidge of courage, then I could run away myself, maybe even tell the cops.

"Where do you think you're going?" he whispered into my ear, and I froze.

His fist met with my right cheek.

~.~.~`+`~.~.~

I awoke from the terrible dream – no, memory – and my entire body was covered with sweat. And then I felt another body in the bed, the body's arms wrapped protectively around me, same as it's legs.

I slowly turned my head. I screamed and fell off the bed.

He awoke with a start.

"What's wrong Yugi?" Yami asked me, and I remembered. For a second, I felt safe. And then I realized I had been sleeping, and that meant I had wasted some of the dear time that I needed to be close to him. Oh that's right, for however long I had been asleep, I was cuddled in his chest, his arms around me.

Blood rushed to my face, and I could feel the blush creeping down from my hairline to my neck.

"I- I- I just had a bad dream." I stammered, and Yami's face cooled, calming me. He got up and walked, almost glided, over to me. He pulled me into a comforting hug.

"I'm sorry," he comforted, "You wanna talk 'bout it?"

"Not really."

~.~.~`+`~.~.~

Princess: Hello my fanbase! I love you too! I've been wanting to do something like this for- umm, since I wrote this! Ahh, angst, my immortal BFF.

Shadow the Cat: I'm BBBAAAACCCCKKKKKK

Pie: Only one more, kitty.

Princess: OK that's the chapter for ya!

Shadow the Cat: But I didn't get my two-

Pie: Yeah you did. Haha, thanks for reading! I would LOVELOVELOVE it if you reviewed!

Princess: So would I, so REVIEW DAMMIT!


	10. The Points Of Authority

Princess: My laptop isn't working right so I have to upload this secretly through another laptop… because my family has no idea of this… hobby. Let's keep it that way… I'd rather not have to deal with the lecture. Actually, I wouldn't have to deal with it, but Pie would have to…

Pie: Don't even think about it Princess Bitch. I'll make your life a living hell.

Princess: OK! I won't!

Pie: Good. Oh, and I would just like to warn all the readers that you might find that this chapter probably sucks. Just a warning.

Shadow the Cat: When is it my turn to talk? I want my two turns to talk!

Princess: You'll get them. Now on with the f*beep*ing fic.

**Atem POV**

**5 Hours 38 Minutes**

I sat there with Yugi in my arms, just waiting for Yugi to admit that the dream was about his father. I don't know everything about it, I just know that Mr. Moto and his younger brother (A/N another one of my OCs) were douches and hurt their kids somehow.

I knew Yugi better than he knew himself. When you live inside someone's mind for years, you get to know them pretty well. I just wish I knew what had been done to him.

Yugi's father moved away from Yugi when Gramps told him to leave and never come back. But he does come back, every Christmas, Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Yugi's birthday, and whenever he decided it was time to check up. Usually around the middle of June. Whenever he would come, Yugi would lock me away deep inside his head, and the next time I saw him, he was shaking. Wait, middle of June?

Wait…

That's now.

The front door to the Game Shop below us slammed shut, and a voice much like Yugi's called out,

"WHERE'S MY LITTLE YUUUUUU-GIIIIIIIII? I WANT MY LITTLE BOY!"

Yugi tensed, squeezed into me and tightened his grip around my midsection, the air flying right out of my lungs.

I heard a muted conversation through the floor; Mr. Moto and Gramps were talking. I heard Gramps sigh in defeat; he probably just lost a quiet, verbal battle. Footsteps whispered up the stairs, and three crisp knocks echoed on the Yugi's bedroom door.

Yugi didn't move.

"Yuge?" he pushed himself closer to me. As if that was possible. "You in there?" three more knocks; each one more impatient than the last. "Yugi, if you don't open this door," I could tell he was speaking through clenched teeth now, "_I will open it for you._" The handle rattled, and Yugi shot out of my protective arms, and went to the desk drawer, pulling out an iPod. He put the headphones into his ears and turned the volume up as loud as it would go. I made out the lyrics.

_Forfeit the game_

_Before someone else takes you out of the frame_

_Puts your name to shame_

_Cover up your face,_

_You can't run the race,_

_The pace is too fast, you just won't last._

A different singer came into the song then.

_You love the way_

_I look at you_

_While taking pleasure in the awful things you put me through_

_You take away,_

_If I give in_

_My life, my pride,_

_Is broken!_ (A/N Points of Authority by Linkin Park. So perfect for this story, don't you think? Haha, this song is depressing! :D)

"YUGI! DON'T MAKE ME TELL YOU TWICE!" Yugi shivered as if he could feel the pain he was about to feel. I know he was about to kick down the door, but he was probably going to try to open it again before he did that, so I launched myself at the door and unlocked it. I leaped out of the way as it slammed through where I was just standing.

"YUGI!" he screamed, the small boy jumping to attention and paused the song. I made my way over to them and stuck myself in front of Yugi protectively. Thank Ra that Mr. Moto couldn't see or hear me. This way I could flip him off and cuss him out without getting murdered.

"What Dada?" Yugi squeaked, "What do you want from me?"

Mr. Moto smiled.

It was the scariest thing I'd ever seen in my life _and_ Afterlife.

"Can't I just get a normal hug from my beautiful son? Maybe we could have some Father/Son time alone?" Yugi looked at me, then looked to the floor.

"Dada… I'm _eighteen _now. You," he looked back up at me, as if for support, and I smiled. "You can't touch me without my consent."

Faster than I could react, Mr. Moto's tight fist slammed onto Yugi's face.

"Don't. Talk. _To me._ Like. _That."_ He spat the last word out of his mouth. "I am your father. I can do," he moved closer to Yugi, and I adjusted where I was, "anything I want," I had to place my hand on Yugi's chest to slightly move him back so I could slide my arm in front of him, "to _you."_ He sneered, pushing Yugi up against the wall, and pushed him down. Yugi wasn't strong enough to resist. "You know what to do." Yugi nodded, and his hands moved closer and closer to his-

My anger built inside of me as I saw what he meant. Rage filled my entire body and I could feel my eyes turn from a calm purple to a blood red.

"Don't even THINK ABOUT IT BUCKO!" I screamed at Mr. Moto, and he spun around fast. He could hear me.

"How did you get in here?" he asked, stammering. He could see me.

I punched him hard in the gut. He doubled over in pain. He could feel me.

Time for some revenge. And magic, but that's beside the point. I could feel the heat of a golden eye on my forehead.

"It's… _game time."_ I told him in a voice I've been told is 'fit for a king'.

He let out a coughing laugh, recovering from the blow I had inflicted. "Why do I want to play a game with you?" Yugi quivered, shrinking into the spot where his bed meets the wall.

I chuckled. "Because I'm bored." We both laughed together evilly, something I never want to do again.

"Ok then, how do we play? What are the rules?"

"Have you ever heard of the card game War?" I asked him, already moving over to Yugi's drawer and opening the top compartment. And there they were. His Duel Monster's deck and his normal deck. I took out the normal one and started shuffling it in a needlessly dramatic fashion.

"I've heard of it," he eased himself onto Yugi's bed, "but I never learned the rules."

"Well, you split the deck in half and each player gets one half. Then we draw one at the same time and show it to each other. Whoever has the bigger card number, wins. We keep going until we run out of cards. Whoever has the more cards at the end, wins the whole game." I explained quickly. In this game, whoever wins, it's all decided by the Heart of the Cards. Let's see who she picks.

I dealt out the cards; 26 each. Then we battled. (A/N I'm playing War with myself right now to get these results)

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, but this is a Shadow Game." The place around my neck where my Millennium Puzzle used to sit sparkled as it reappeared. Mr. Moto just hummed to himself.

The game went on; my nine of Hearts against his eight of Diamonds, my Queen of Spades (A/N that goes out to the people who watched Season 0 of Yugioh!) vs. his Ace of Spades.

The last cards were shown about seven minutes after it had begun. My seven of Spades against his five of Hearts. I won that battle, but I wondered about the war. I tentatively picked up my discarded deck, and started counting all the cards. I was nervous; it looked like he won as many battles as I did. I continued counting until I got to my final number at the same time Mr. Moto did.

"I got 24 cards here," he said proudly. I smiled.

"28," I responded. "I win," I pointed to him, "_you lose. _PENALTY GAME!" I yelled, "Every time you close your eyes, you will feel every pain Yugi has ever felt and ice will flow through your veins instead of blood." His face lost its pink tint to it, and got more of a sickly off-white blue. He shivered and clutched at himself, as if to warm his own body. He closed his eyes, and he yelped in pain, flinching, his eyes flying open again.

"I- I" he stammered, still shivering from the cold that would never actually kill him, "I have to- to go-oo h-ho-ho-ome." He stood up and walked away, still bending over himself. I could still hear his footsteps going down the stairs, opening and closing the front door, and his car starting up. It sped away as fast as he got here.

I was off in my own world, think about what he had almost made Yugi do when Yugi whispered to me. His voice was quiet.

"Thank you," he murmured,

"You're welcome." I responded.

**Nanu POV**

**5 Hours 23 Minutes**

Ah, my children. Atem was taken from me because he became the Pharaoh, and Baset drowned while on a trip with her father and some friends to the Nile. My children were both taken from me before Ra had taken me.

I know you've all heard this a million times, but a parent is _never_ meant to outlive their child.

Atemu died leading our people to glory, and Baset died leading a cat from the waters where it would've drowned.

I once thought that if all the lives my children had saved had not been saved, my babies would still be here somehow. All lives are precious, and things that happen, happen for a reason.

If Baset had not passed, who knows how different the world would have been. If Atemie had not died guarding the place he loved, as much as I hate to admit it, his heart would have filled with greed and he would have lost all compassion for Egypt.

But they both died nicely.

I met with Baset in the Afterlife and asked her about how she died.

"After my heart stopped racing, I entered a dream state and everything was calm. It was like the time when Atemie made you and Daddy talk with a bowl over your face the entire day because you asked him what he wanted for his birthday. I knew someone was calling me, but I didn't really think about it because I was thinking about life. Then I saw Ra lean down from the clouds and scoop me up with his claw. It was amazing. Ra is actually really funny!" she laughed then.

When I asked Atem, it was completely different.

"How was it like to die? You really want to know?" I nodded, "It sucked ass. I had to leave behind everything I had ever dreamed of back in Egypt, and when I went into the Millennium Puzzle, I was all alone. Then I met- I became happy again, and then I was ripped from everything that I loved."

I then knew not to talk to him about anything about his life on Earth.

It was too painful for him.

My children are polar opposites, even in death. But I love them both equally.

And by 'equally' I mean 'more than life and death itself'.

**Yugi POV**

**5 Hours 19 Minutes**

Thank you. That's all I said? What kind of cheesy Care Bears bullshit ending is that?

But sometimes Care Bears is the best way to go.

OK then…

Thank you.

~:~:~.+.~:~:~

Princess: I just want to write ten more words so I can breach 2,000 words in one chapter. Done.

Pie: Until next time,

Shadow the Cat: GOODBYE!

Pie: Next week on- DEATH DO US PART!

Princess: Something will happen!

Pie: And someone will talk to… SOMEONE ELSE!


	11. The Words Of A Lullaby

Princess: I AM A HORRIBLE PERSON

Pie: SO AM I FOGIVE US

Shadow The Cat: They were devoting their time to LPFiction-.-com instead. The Princess and her Hikari are lovers of Bennoda (Chester Bennington/Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park)

Princess: There my penname is 'Princess'

Pie: Read them if u like :D It'd make me happy 3

**Yami POV**

**4 Hours 53 Minutes**

We sat quietly in each other's arms for a while longer, as I hummed the tune and sometimes sang the words of a lullaby. Neither one of us really knew what to say, so we didn't say anything. Yugi couldn't really do anything more elaborate than blubber through his barrage of tears right now anyway.

Yugi had awkwardly but sincerely told me 'thank you', and I awkwardly but sincerely replied 'you're welcome'.

_This would be the best time to tell Yugi that I love him,_ I thought for a second, then banished the idea. He's too vulnerable right now; he was sitting in my lap, straddling my waist, holding me tightly, my arms wrapped around his mid-section and holding his head to my shoulder. We probably looked like a jigsaw puzzle right now, with all the pieces put together.

We were together.

I only wish it could be forever.

Then I could truly be happy. Yugi in my arms, not caring who saw us or what they thought.

This love is ours, and no one can take that away.

At least that's what I believed.

I don't know about Yugi.

**Nanu POV**

**4 Hours 52 Minutes**

They love each other, but they don't want to show it for fear of, for Yugi, breaking the tradition of being hurt by the people he loves, and for Atemu, it's because he thinks it's useless. He'll be leaving Earth soon, and he doesn't understand the meaning in telling someone you love them before they leave.

It lets people sleep at night to know that the person they once loved, loved them back. It makes them feel like they were too late telling the person they loved when you skip that vital detail. I feel so awful that my little boy is here, being forced to go through this.

The same little boy who, when he was hungry when he was little, he used to accidently yell, "I'M HORNY!"

The same little boy who would smile so much he had smile lines by the time he was seven.

The same little boy who would always scream aloud when he was a spider.

The same little boy who is still my son, and I love him, and I hurt every time I see what he is going through.

He is in a bad place. In his eyes, at least.

He's in love with someone whom death has no claim. That doesn't usually happen in the Afterlife. We're cut off from the modern world; only people who had the power could watch people's lives play out on Earth, but the feeling of the Afterlife, the personality, is to keep you as happy as possible. To make sure you feel as if you need nothing from life. All the people you used to treasure from Earth have died and come here.

I've been waiting for my beloved son for millennia.

But what keeps me up at night is it felt like days.

And now I can't possibly make him happy.

Because the thing that truly makes him happy right now, is the one thing he can't have.

Yugi.

**Yugi POV**

**4 Hours 42 Minutes**

My emotions were strewn across the floor of my room.

One part of me was almost happy to be in my… love's lap, with him holding me tightly and gently at the same time.

The other part of me was crying for that very reason.

My life felt almost perfect right now. I was in the arms of the person I would much rather spend my life and death with happily. As a… you know.

Still, nothing can ever save me, not even Yami. Not from myself.

By leaving, I guess Yami thought he was protecting me, while, in truth, he released the worst demon of all: me.

"Yugi?" he asked quietly. I hadn't even noticed he had stopped humming.

"What?" I asked, my voice vibrating.

"You know I'll always be watching you once I'm gone, right? I'll always be right up here," he pointed upwards. "Call my name and I'll be listening. I'll try as hard as I can in these few hours that I have right now to show you that I'm always listening for your call."

"Please don't talk about leaving yet. We still have four and a half hours left together. Let me save my sadness for the few minutes before."

Because I don't know what I'll say if he starts talking about leaving.

I might say that I love him.

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: I am sooooo sorry that this sucks majorly! Gimme until the next chapter to clean up my act.

Pie: Yeah, there was just no time between [insert something general but sensible] and [general and sensible]. I'm sorry!

Shadow the Cat: Yes, the Princess and Hikari are freaking out right now. They ARE very sorry though, that's not a lie.

Princess & Pie: Yeah! We are so VERY sorry!

Shadow the Cat: Yes, that is exactly what I just said.

Princess & Pie: SHUDDUP U ALREADY GOT YOUR TWO COMMENTS!

Pie: Speaking of comments…


	12. The Truth From The Both Of Them

Princess: Thank you for putting up with me…

Pie: *hangs head*

Shadow the Cat: Lighten up! Now you get to make up for chapters you haven't written in the space you'd written Linkin Park fiction like 'Drowning In Lies, Missing In Truth', 'Footsteps', and 'Because I Love You'.

Princess: Yeah! What she said!

Pie: Get ON WITH IT…

**Yami POV**

**4 Hours 40 Minutes**

"Please don't talk about leaving yet. We still have four and a half hours left together. Let me save my sadness for the last few minutes." Four and a half hours left… _together._ And during those four and a half hours, Yugi, I promise you I'll try to comfort you and protect you.

I picked Yugi up smoothly and swiftly and walked him over to the bed and sat down with him.

He yawned into my shoulder.

"Tired?" I asked quietly to Yugi's hair.

"Mmm, yeah…" he mumbled, loosening his muscles into my chest. I lowered us down so we could sleep.

But I'm not letting go of him.

I still held him as tight as I had done on the floor.

Yugi drifted off almost immediately. This time, I'll make sure Dreamland treats him right.

I won't let the nightmares of his past catch up to him.

Not this time.

A few minutes later, a few knocks came at the door, to the tune of, 'shave and a haircut, to points!'

"Yes," I whispered quietly, but loud enough so whoever was outside could hear me.

The door creaked open.

_It's only Gramps, _I told myself.

"Shh!" I hushed before he even talked, looking back to Yugi. 'Oh', he mouthed, only half-interested.

"Did… my son… hurt Yugi again?"

"No, but he is paying for what he had done to Yugi."

"Ahh, so _that's_ why he ran screaming from the Game Shop,"

"He wasn't screaming," I joking stated. Gramps chuckled under his breath.

"I'm not proud of either of my sons," he added seriously. "I'm just surprised at their acting abilities when it comes to seducing women."

"I guess women are attracted to that bad-boy type,"

"Yeah…" there was an awkward silence where we exchanged glances, then looked back to Yugi's sleeping frame, then back at each other. Yugi's rising and falling chest was as entertaining as watching cute kittens run around, chasing each other's tails for no good reason.

"He loves you, you know." My head snapped up. "He sleeps all the time now so he can dream about you. He had so many fantasies, sometimes I have to pretend like he has something very important to do, just to interrupt his nightmare or dream. There are so many times where I come up here to check on him, and I'll hear him sobbing or screaming for you. Sometimes he's even panting and gasping breathily, calling your name." I was shocked.

I stared at Yugi, memorizing every dimple, every line, every part of his face I wouldn't want to call back once I went back to being dead (A/N Being Dead… by Vivian Vande Velde, who is a native of close to where I live, Rochester, New York!).

"I don't know what to do anymore. He's hopelessly in love with you. Before you, he was a quiet person, but a colorful person none the less. While you were here, he was a confident, radiant person who loved living life by your side. After you left, he suddenly went silent. He would only leave his room to move to somewhere else to be depressed. His spirits suddenly disappeared. Personally, I think he needs you to _survive._" To… _survive?_ He needs me that bad? I massaged the back of his neck with my hand.

"I wish I didn't have to leave," I mused, feeling completely happy just sitting here on this bed, with Yugi clutched tightly in my arms. I am never letting go of him.

But I have to.

"Well," Gramps sighed, "I guess I'll leave you two be. My lecture's over."

"Oh! Gramps!" he turned around and looked back at me, "Thank you,"

"You are sincerely welcome," he smiled and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind him.

Yugi looks almost the same as Gramps.

People say I'm crazy for thinking that, but if you look close enough, they have the exactly same nose. Same ears, same cheekbones…

I don't exactly understand what happened after that.

I think I fell asleep.

**Nanu POV**

**4 Hours 25 Minutes**

I feel so bad because I feel like I'm watching daytime TV as I watch my son and his love. I giggle a bit and feel happy as can be when I see Atemie and Yugi cuddle on the bed.

**Yugi POV**

**2 Hours 42 Minutes**

For the first time in about a year, I dreamed of something other than nothing, my father, or Yami.

I dreamed of adorable bunny rabbits this time. Hopping all around… having fun… things I don't get to do anymore. Then the bunny rabbits sat down at a tree stomp and started to play poker. Then a giant unicorn flew out of the sky and saved me from the vampire bunny that had started chasing me. And then we flew to its world of Sparkly Farts. Then the unicorn puked up sparkles and rainbows.

And then I woke up.

To Yami's beautiful scent of the sun and flowers.

Only this time this isn't a dream or a pillow, it's the real thing.

The real Yami.

I moved to prop myself up on my elbow, and he woke up.

We pulled almost completely away from each other; the only thing shared was our hands, tightly clasped around each other's. I don't know what's changed between us, but it's changed just enough to be visible.

"Hi," he whispered, quickly glancing down at his watch, then at my functioning clock on the wall.

"What time is it?" I asked, stretching out my tired limbs.

"10:23 PM. 2 hours and 37 minutes left."

For some reason unknown, Yami's lips suddenly became the thing I wanted. I just stared at them while momentarily glancing back up at his face then looking back down.

"YamiIjust-" his hands grabbed the sides of my face and pulled me in. Then our lips were on each other.

He broke the kiss just as I decided that's what I wanted.

"Yugi, I love you, I love you with all my heart. That's why Ra and Osiris let me come back, because of my love for you. I don't want to leave without you knowing that, OK? I love you." He nervously said. Wait… He _does love me back!_

"I fucking love you, Yami or Atemu or whatever your gaddam name is! Come here," I flipped Yami on his back, and slid on top of him, kissing his neck, sucking his collarbone, and finally getting to his lips, which is when we really showed our love.

When we weren't caught up in our mouths, we were whispering each other's names and little 'I love yous' the entire time.

Yami's hands scooted underneath my shirt, pulling it off as his hands traveled up, when all I wanted was for him to go in the opposite direction.

We broke the kiss so our shirts could be slipped off.

Then came the pants.

Princess: MWUAHAHAHA I GOT MY THUNDER BACK!


	13. Mercy

Princess: *giggling maniacally* *turning into laugh* *turning into Light Yagami/Kira laugh at the end of Death Note*

Pie: 0_o

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Yami POV**

**2 Hours 12 Minutes**

I can't believe what I've just done as I collapse on top of Yugi's back.

"I love you," Yugi whispered into the pillow.

I gathered the last of my spent strength to get off Yugi and flip him over, face-up.

"I love you too," I whispered, leaning over and kissing his cheek.

The sheets had ridden down to our waists, and I half-worried about whether Gramps would come in and see us like this.

But only half.

The other half of me was filled with an indescribable happiness.

The kind of happiness you never need to describe, the kind your partner just _knows._

"I don't know what just happened…" Yugi trailed off.

"Well, Yugi, when two people love each other very much…" I was interrupted by Yugi laughing aloud, the laugh I remember he used to laugh.

Back when we were friends, and I lived inside of him.

The loud ringing of the phone echoed through the house, then was silenced. It was followed by a quiet, "Game Shop, how may I help you?... I'll get him! OK… bye! And thank you!" the phone was laid back on the receiver and slow footsteps hurried across the room, up the stairs…

"Shit!" I whispered, throwing Yugi's clothes at him and grabbing my own.

_Knock knock!_

We had just pulled on our pants when the door opened.

"Oh! I'm… uh… sorry…" Gramps turned his back to us. "Tell me when you're ready,"

I helped Yugi pull on his shirt, trying to touch every inch of his torso as I went down.

Then he helped me, too.

God, it felt so good.

We slipped out of the bed, and I positioned myself behind Yugi, hugging his waist tightly with one arm, the other one holding his shoulders and neck. Yugi's left hand was intertwined with mine over his stomach, the other gently caressing my right wrist.

I'm never letting go of you.

"Yes, Grandpa?" Yugi asked awkwardly. His voice was clearer. Just like his voice was back then.

Gramps spun around, staring at us, then at Yugi smiling, just like he used to. He nodded to me. A 'thank you', I guess.

I leaned in fast but passionate, and kissed up Yugi's neck.

"Umm," Gramps fumbled for words a bit. "That was Marik. He said to say that he, Joey, and Kaiba were coming down to pick you guys up. Tea asked for you guys. He said that they'd be here in a few minutes."

"Thanks," Yugi said cheerily, patting my wrist. "We'll be down in a minute."

"Okay," Gramps agreed, turning and walking out.

"You ready?" Yugi asked me happily.

"Just so long as you're there by my side, then I'm ready to face the world."

"I love you."

"I love you too," I let go off him only to wrap my arm protectively around his waist. Yugi grabbed my free hand and opened the door.

"Let's go face the world."

**Marik POV**

**2 Hours 3 Minutes**

As me, Joey, and Kaiba drove to the Game Shop, Ishizu's car ran low on gas.

Little motherfrigger. Samantha would _never_ do this to me! And that's why I love my Sammi, my bike.

We pulled into the empty but for one taxi gas station. When I got out to put in the money in the pump, a notice flashed on the little screen.

_Please see cashier to pay for gasoline._

I ducked my head back into the car for a second, interrupting Joey and Kaiba's major make-out sesh.

"Hey guys, I gotta go inside to pay so I'll be back in a minute. And don't get swimmers on my sister's backseat, okay? She'll fucking kill me." Kaiba mumbled an 'okay' into Joey's mouth. Joey was still pinned to the seat, a mass of limbs and seatbelts all around. "If you are going to do it, at least open the door and let it out _outside the nice car._" There was no response that time. I sighed.

This is what it's always like when you hang out with these two lovebirds. Nothing can separate them.

I counted my footsteps to get to the door of the station just to pass the time.

I yank open the door and immediately the smell of candy that could quite possibly give you cancer filled my nostrils.

Then I see the unnatural blonde fumbling with the cash register and a man with long blonde hair like mine leaning up against the checkout counter, cell phone in hand.

"Hello sir! Welcome to the Gas Palace! I'll be with you once I fix the register. It shouldn't take long." She dropped her head again and hit the register, then started looking all around it, trying to find its weak spot.

I sighed for the millionth time that day and got in line.

The man in front of me slid his phone back in his pocket and looked up at me. I took in his features quickly. I didn't need to take much time; I already knew his face.

He looked just like me.

Maybe a year or two older than me, but other than that, he looked just like me.

Why did I find him so attractive?

He smiled at me and reached out his hand. I took it almost instantly.

"I'm Malik Blishtar."

"Huh, my name's Marik Ishtar."

"Ha! Well then, what's your favorite band, singer, and rapper?"

"Linkin Park, or maybe Paramore, Avril Lavigne, and Eminem."

"Just like me! What are your favorite songs from them?"

"From Linkin Park, Bleed It Out, from Paramore, Stop This Song, from Avril, Hot, and from Eminem, Mockingbird."

"Oh my GOD it's like we're connected! You single?"

"Yeah…"

"Me too!"

"Wow!"

"Favorite color?"

"Lavender."

"SAME!" he yelled, smiling. "Ya know, I kinda feel like dating you." Why did I just mentally fanboy squeal?

"Same!" I said, "What's your number?"

"[insert Malik's number]. What's yours?"

"[insert Marik's number]."

"OK THEN! Call me anytime and I'll answer. Okay Marik?"

"Okay Malik!"

"Sirs, the cash register is working!" the blonde interrupted, immediately ringing up Malik's Gatorade. "$1.23. Thank you for shopping at the Gas Palace!"

"You're welcome," he replied, shoving the money over the counter to the person. He opened the Gatorade and made his way to the door.

"Yes?"

"Thirty dollars worth of gas on pump number four." I gave her the money and she nodded.

"It's ready for you. Thank you for shopping at the Gas Palace!"

"Yeah, yeah." I ran to the door to make it just as Malik opened it. Just so I could go out the door with him.

"Shit." He swore, opening the door. (A/N RHYME)

"What's wrong?"

"The taxi I used here drove off! I'll have to hitch!" perfect.

"You can ride with me and my two friends, if you want."

"Really?" he smiled widely, turning to me. "Can I?"

"Of course! Where you goin'?"

"The Domino Hospital. My older sister is ill,"

"That's exactly where we need to go! We need to pick up my two- err, one friend at his house, but it's not that far away from here. Only a few minutes." We were already strolling to the car.

I started pumping the gas into the car as Malik slid into the front seat of the car. I glanced nervously inside.

Joey and Kaiba were sitting politely on each other's laps.

They were introduced, and a few laughs were exchanged.

The gas pump seemed to bang around, and the gas finished flowing.

I lowered myself into the front seat and started the car again. We sped out of the station and back on the road, not caring for the speed limits.

"Uhm, Malik, do you believe in… I guess you could call it magic and ghosts?"

"How did you know? I can see ghosts."

"You can see ghosts?"

"Yeah. And ghosts, in reality, aren't earth-bound spirits, they are the spirit of someone who has been sent to earth to complete a task, but they are only given a certain amount of time, like twelve, or sometimes twenty-four hours."

"Well, um, we have a ghost. He was sent back to see our good friend Yugi again. We're going to pick them up and bring them to the hospital to see our good friend Tea, who's in labor."

"Cool! How much time does he have left?"

"Only about two hours. He was given twelve."

"Sucks…" as he said that, we pulled into the Game Shop. I got out and, in my peripherals I saw Malik get out and move to the back seat with Joey and Kaiba.

I opened the door. Only then did I realize that it was raining. As I came into the shelter, I saw Yugi and Yami sitting on the table off in the next room, their lips moving with each other.

"C'mon guys!" I called. They split their kiss almost at once, as ran to me, holding hands. "So you made up? Or should I say made o_ut?_"

"Very funny!" Yami yelled, running out of the Game Shop laughing with Yugi.

Wait, Yugi was laughing?

This guy can work miracles, I swear.

So I laugh and chase after them to the car.

Yugi yanked open the door and Yami jumped in, with Yugi following, scooting in on his lap, facing him.

I started the car again and raced out as fast as I had raced in.

"Before you two start making out," Malik quickly disrupted, "I would just like to say that I am Malik Blishtar and Marik is giving me a ride to the hospital to see my sister and that I am not here to kill you."

Yami and Yugi noted his presence, then started kissing. All over.

"Oh God, Yugi, I love you…" Yami had huffed out as Yugi gave him a hickey.

I rolled my eyes in the rearview mirror at Malik, just to show him how indifferent I was to this. Then I turned up the volume on the CD.

_So I'm lying my way from you, no, no turning back now, I wanna be pushed aside so let me go, no, no turning back now…_

**Yugi POV**

**1 Hour 36 Minutes**

We pulled into the hospital ten minutes later, my lips still traveling up and down Yami's head, neck, and collarbone.

I find that certain things are as fun for the giver as they are for the receiver.

This was one of those things.

"Guys! Let's go!" I ripped away from Yami and slid out the door. _Think of baseball. That always works._

And, mercy, it did.

It worked well for Yami too.

He ducked out of the car and nonchalantly wrapped his arm around my waist again, sliding his hand in my front pocket.

"Act like I'm not here. People can't see me, I want them to think I'm not here, OK?"

"OK," I whisper back. He kisses my temple, and then we start walking inside. We leaned against each other, but not so much that you could see it.

We walked through the hospital, and once we got the front desk, Marik quickly grabbed Malik's shirt and pushed him up against the wall and kissed him.

"You'll come when I call, right? You'll answer me, right?"

"Of course. Call me if something happens and you need me. I'll come to you." Malik kissed Marik once again and walked off to whichever unit he was looking for.

"Tea Gardner," Kaiba said to the lady.

"207," she replied, pointing to where the room was.

We started walking again.

Once we got inside the room's safety, I flipped around and kissed Yami on the lips quickly.

When we broke the kiss, Tea smiled at us. She smiled at everyone, her sweat-coated features still happy. Duke was planted right next to her, holding her hand tightly. Like if he let go of her hand, she would die.

"Hey my shniggies!" she greeted,

"Hey Tea!"

"So, I see you two made up."

"With your help!" I declared, smiling. I looked up at Yami, and he smiled down at me. "I love you." I said.

"I love you too."

"Yeah, we all love each other." Ishizu said cheerily.

Got that right.

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: MWUAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA I AM FILLED WITH AN UNDESCRIBABLE HAPPINESS RIGHT NOW AND IT'S BECAUSE I JUST HAD SEX, 'CAUSE I DIDN'T.

Pie: it's because she enjoys hearing from her fans. LIKE YOU

Shadow the Cat: I… don't know what to say. After Princess's breakdown at the beginning of this chapter, I'm afraid she might rip me open with a chainsaw. Again. *sigh* oh-so violent. Kinda scary.

Pie: I feel for you kitty. In my normal life, Princess is right beneath my skin...


	14. I'll Find A Way

Princess: Ahhh… Time is running out and this fic is coming to a close.

Pie: It was fun. But don't worry, I'm back. I'll keep writing as the ideas keep pumping.

Shadow the Cat: Yeah!

Eminem: Congrats.

Princess: *slaps him on the back* thanks, man.

Pie: *screaming* OHMYGOOOODDDDDD OHMYGOOOOODDDDDD I LOVE YOOUUUU

Eminem: Ha! I love you too, Pie.

Pie: *faints*

Eminem: Are you OK? Pie? Wake up!

Pie: *awakens* OK!

Eminem: *hugs Pie for no good reason for the rest of the chapter*

Princess: Special thanks to Papercut (Rewind) by Linkin Park. Very inspirational. My favorite part is when Chester… I apologize, I'm a huge fangirl.

**Yami POV**

**1 Hour 13 Minutes**

Peace.

Love.

Tranquility.

Happiness.

That's what I feel as I sit down with Yugi clutched tightly in my arms.

I have to smile as Yugi recounted the time we tried to make cupcakes.

"… and by the time we were done, flour and chocolate _coated_ the floor!" laughter. "It was the most fun I had that entire _year._"

I really, really wish I could stay here.

"What do you think, Yami?" Tea asked me, cocking her head to the side.

"About what?"

"How are you gonna stay here? There's no way you're just going to take this laying down! You won't give Yugi up just because some _bird_ and a _green-skinned old man!_" (A/N Ra is a Phoenix… which is a bird… and Osiris is pictured as a green-skinned man. Hehe)

I shouldn't give in?

But I'm meant to be in the Afterlife, not on earth.

But I'm meant to be with Yugi.

But I'm meant to be dead.

But I'm meant to be with my friends.

But I'm meant to be with my dead family.

But I'm not.

I'm supposed to be here.

_Yami? Yami? Are you in there?_

There was a _woosh_ing sound in my ears, and I was back again.

"Yami?" Yugi asked me a little louder, waving a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry. Just thinking."

"So…" Tea continued, a little bit put-off.

"I'll find a way," I promised. I think I was promising more than just Yugi and Tea and the rest of the gang.

I think I was promising myself.

I think I was promising myself that I wouldn't have to go without Yugi.

I look down at Yugi, just to see his beautiful face.

"Find a way," he whispered. "I can't live without you." I smiled faintly.

"I will,"

**Malik POV**

**1 Hour 3 Minutes**

"Mali! Mali's here!" my sister rasped as I walked in.

"Yeah, I'm here," I smiled. My sister used to be the only reason I still lived.

Now I have Marik.

"Where's Mom and Dad?" I asked, looking around the room and quickly peeking in the bathroom. No one else.

"They said they may or may not come today. Again." She paused. We both were thinking the same thing. "Is it because of Lizzie?" we couldn't really look at each other as she said that. The mention of Sophie's girlfriend always brings back too many memories of hatred from our parents.

"Maybe. The homophobic bastards. Don't they understand you fall in love with whoever you fall in love with?" now I would have to protect my heart along with Sophie's when we see our parents. "But how're you doin'!" I asked, almost floating to her bedside, pulling up a chair and clutching her hand.

"Eh, you know…"

"Feel like shit?"

"Feel like shit." I started laughing, causing her to laugh along with me. "So," she started, smiling at me full force. "You meet anybody?" I scoffed. The first time she asks me that question I actually have an answer.

"Truthfully? Yes. _His_ name is Marik Ishtar."

"Ooo!" she clapped her hands giddily, her face completely bright. "Tell me _all_ the _juicy_ details!"

"Umm, nothing really 'juicy' in the literal form of the-"

"You guys Frenchie'd?"

"Yeah…"

"THAT'S _juicy! _Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"Because I only met him _earlier today…_"

"You met him earlier _today_, you _French Kissed, _and I didn't get an urgent text message declaring all of this? What's wrong with this picture?"

"Complete lack of a text message?"

"Complete lack of a text message!"

"Sorry…"

"You're forgiven!" she giggled. "_Now_ tell me all the juicy details!"

"Well, you see, it all started at a gas station uptown…"

**Yugi POV**

**56 Minutes**

I stared off into space as different people told their favorite stories. The only thing I felt was Yami, all around me, underneath me. The only thing I heard was his breathing and steady heartbeat. The only thing I saw were the numbers on Yami's watch click down, closer to none.

56 to 55. 55 to 54. 54 to 53.

Everything was ticking away.

Every second brought me closer to be alone again.

Every second I spent thinking about Yami leaving, I could be telling him I love him. I could be having fun with me. I could be happy, one last time.

One last chance I get to be in love.

I can promise you, child, I will never feel the way I do right now.

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: Sorry it's so short, but I don't have anything else to write about.

Pie: I'm happy right now! *still hugging Eminem*

Eminem: There are 911 words…

Shadow the Cat: Why am I the only sane person in here?

Princess: Probably 'cause you're not a person.

Shadow the Cat: Good point.


	15. When We Move, We Camouflage Ourselves

Princess: 0_o chapter 15…

Pie: Whoa, man…

Eminem: Wow. Good job…

Shadow the Cat: I've seen better. *gets attacked by everyone*

Pie: Sidenote! 20 is my lucky number, and if I get EXACTLY 1,384 words in this chapter, I'll hit 20,000 words in DDUP!

Eminem: Wish us luck! *bitch-slaps Shadow*

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Yami POV**

**37 Minutes**

"… and then he just gave me a blank stare and went, 'you are one fucked up chick.' So I replied, 'when did you realize?'" Serenity's story came to a close and there was the laughter. The insane laughter that I can hear from everyone, and even Yugi.

But Yugi seemed to be off in another world. He was holding onto my hand so tightly I was afraid it'd break.

I caught his eyes burning a hole in the watch more than once.

True, I had less than forty minutes on earth, but Yugi shouldn't be the one worrying about that.

It's my job now to figure out how I'm going to stay here.

I don't have long to figure it out, but I know that, right now, the best thing I can be doing is being with Yugi.

It's the only thing I can do.

I flex my arms around Yugi's waist and his head snaps toward me.

His eyes whisper, 'What's wrong?'

'Are you OK?'

Pause. 'I'm going to miss you when you're gone.'

'Why? I'm not leaving.'

'But the Afterlife…? Your family…?'

'I don't care about them. Without you (A/N Eminem is so awesome…), they mean nothing to me.'

Yugi smiled faintly, not sure how to take that response. 'I love you.'

'I love you too.'

**Malik POV**

**29 Minutes**

11:31 PM.

That ghost, Marik's friend, has only has half an hour. Hopefully that's long enough to finish what he needs to.

Sophie was asleep. Her small eyes squeezed tight, her small mouth in an O.

I loved watching over my sister while she slept. It reminded me of when we were kids and I would protect her from Mom and Dad if they got mad.

My phone started ringing. _When we move, we camouflage ourselves. We stand in the shadows __waiting__! We live for this and nothing mo- _(A/N E For Extinction by Thousand Foot Krutch. So much awesome I can't take it)

I pick it up there.

"Hello?"

'_Is your refrigerator running?'_

"Shut the frig up!" I hung up right then.

I started to feel so alone.

It's so hard being misunderstood.

I whipped out my cell phone and scrolled through my contacts until I found the one that I wanted.

Labeled 'Marik Ishtar'.

_I feel so alone rite now Marik_

The replying text came almost immediately after.

_Why?_

_I just feel alone_

_What room number are you?_

_412 why_

_What ward are you in?_

[insert superspeacialawesome ward where Sophie is] _Again - why_

_I'm coming up right now_

… _Why?_

_Because if I'm there you won't feel alone anymore. I'll make sure of that._

Pause.

_Thank you, Marik. I haven't known you long but I think I'm already falling._

_Good cause it's the same over on this end._

_Don't get hurt._

_I won't. So long as u're there to catch me, I'll be fine._

_I'll b here. Waiting._

_I'll be there soon._

I didn't have to wait very long. The pounding of footsteps led up to the door, and soon after that, a breathless Marik stood in the door, holding the frame to stay upright.

"Now you're not alone," he stated eagerly.

"No, I guess I'm not." I got up and walked over to Marik, who had now started walking – no, _strutting _towards me.

When we met, I laid my hands on his waist lovingly. He balanced his wrists on my shoulders and we began dancing around in a little square around the room. A small giggle escaped no-longer-sleeping Sophie's lips out of the corner of my eye.

Marik froze.

I yanked on his waist, pulling him closer, and we started dancing again, this time with Sophie as our audience.

All three of us were laughing hard as Lizzie walked into the room, her happy charisma keeping us from feeling awkward. She always walked into something with an open mind.

She was smiling, her huge brown eyes glinting happily, her dark blonde hair falling around her shoulders and in her eyes. She kept swiping the bangs out of her eyes and behind her ear, but her bangs were too short and fell back on her forehead every few minutes.

She arrived and leaned in on Sophie and kissed her softly on the lips, then pulled up a chair and sat down, holding Sophie's hand gently.

A few more minutes and Marik's body was pressed against mine as if we had been vacuum-sealed.

More dancing, more laughing, more silent kisses from Lizzie.

Then a song ripped through the laughing silence. Marik's ringtone, I assume.

_It FALLS apart, from the very start it FALLS apart, seems like everything that I touch, FALLS apart! Everything that I touch, FALLS apart, when I walk away from you…_ (Falls Apart by TFK… I have a problem. I am addicted. I have admitted my problem, and now I must get over it. Linkin Park is going to help me get over my problem. _I'm breaking the habit!)_

Marik grabbed his phone awkwardly, and picked it up.

"Yes? … Wha? Ishizu, stop talking so fast. … Tea is _pushing? _The baby _is_ coming tonight? … Well we can't be there anyway. They'll just stick us in the waiting room. … Ishizu," Marik whined, "I'm with someone right now…" he looked up at me. I don't know why, but I nodded and mouthed, 'I'll come'. Marik's face lit up like a lightbulb. "Ya know what, Ishizu? I'm coming down, and gonna bring him. 'Kay? Coming down right now! Bye." He hung up instantaneously.

I looked over to Sophie.

"I gotta go for the night, Soph. Call me if anything happens, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled weakly, looking at me, then Marik, then to Lizzie for support.

"I'll be here, still, just in another ward. Seriously, Sophie, I'm not leaving you forever. I'll be back either later tonight or tomorrow." She smiled brighter.

"Okay!" she seemed happier. She and Lizzie smiled and waved at us as we walked out.

We walked down the hallway, down a flight of stairs or two, until we got out at the birthing ward.

"What did you say about a baby when you were talking on the phone?"

"My good friend, Tea, is in labor with her first kid. The whole gang is here now, with Yami and all."

"Yami?" I asked questioningly.

"The ghost. Have you ever heard of Yugi Moto?"

"You mean the King of Games? Of _course_ I've heard of him. But only heard, I've never met him."

"He's our best friend, and Yami is well, his, uhh, 'others self' I guess you could call him. They are very in love."

Being in love with someone who is no more can be ruining. You become stuck in a rut; a rut that won't let you out.

But…

I once heard a legend of someone who Ra and Osiris let stay after seeing how much he loved this other person who wasn't dead. They apparently died together fifty years later, after getting married, having nine kids, four grand-kids, two great-grandkids, and seven cats.

**Yugi POV**

**12 Minutes**

Me and Yami were in the men's bathroom. Making out, touching each other, making the most of the last ten minutes of Yami being here.

But what am I saying?

He promised me he wouldn't leave me.

I believe him.

I don't know why, I just do. Something about the way he's changed, the way his hands are floating over my body. Something about how his hands touched my face, memorizing it, then moving back down over my body, then back up, like he was respecting my own presence, not just my body's.

His hands started dancing over my face again.

"Oh God, Yugi, I love you."

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: 20,000! It's a landmark!

Pie: Yes…

Joey &Tristan & Ryo & Yami Bakura: WE WERE TOTALLY INEFFECTUAL!

Eminem: yayyy *receives text and reads it* oh, my cat's on fire.

Pie: Good. That cat is demonically possessed.

Eminem: I know right?


	16. Watch Me Break Down

Princess: omg I would totally like to thank EgyptsBlackRose for being awesome ;D

Pie: ALMOST DONE… WAHHHH

Shadow the Cat: You can always write more fan fiction.

Pie: But I don't know what else to write!

Shadow the Cat: Doesn't Princess write them?

Princess: Only sort of. Pie comes up with the insane, crazy ideas. I'm just the voice in the back of her head at night that helps her connect the dots in stories.

Pie: Princess just helps me out sometimes, when nothing makes sense anymore. Other than that, I write it all myself.

Zane Trusdale: Sucks to be you.

Princess: *points to Zane* CROSSOVER! YOU DON'T BELONG HERE, MONSTER! DO BACK TO YOUR LEECHES AND YOUR POTIONS!

Pie: I apologize, Princess and I are trying to watch the 'Taking the Hobbit to Isengard 10 Hours', and we're about ten minutes in and out minds are already-

Princess: FUCKED?

Pie: Exactly. Two more minutes of this and I'm going to become a serial killer.

Princess: I thought you already were a serial killer. You kill Shadow all the time.

Pie: *holds up chainsaw* shush yourself

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Yami POV**

**11 Minutes**

I couldn't help but touch every inch of him. I couldn't help but want to need him. I couldn't help but love him with all my heart.

Even though I shouldn't, I've grown to need Yugi even more than before.

If that were possible.

But I guess it was.

It was all too perfect a plotline for some tragedy story.

Two people fall in love when they shouldn't.

Love story ensues.

Then it's ripped apart by some higher power.

Tears. Broken Hearts. Broken rebound relationships.

That's what love was.

Love hurts, whether it's right or wrong.

And, through the ecstasy of the moment, I can feel the shadow of pain.

The shadow that will rip a hole through my entire after life, if I don't find a way to stay with Yugi.

If through it's just a shadow, a ghost, I can still feel it as if it were true.

_No. I'm not going to think about this._

I became more absorbed than ever before with Yugi's face.

It had to be the prettiest thing I've ever seen in my whole life. That face.

Every good and happy thought was always written on Yugi's forehead, all the bad thoughts hidden down, buried deep inside himself for no one to see.

No one but me.

**Nanu POV**

**9 Minutes**

I see the pure love and joy for each other when my Atem and Yugi are together, and I won't just sit around and let that be spoiled.

Push myself up from where I was laying down, staring at the little Koi pond that had a secret window the Earth. Not many people knew of it. Most of the Elders knew, but they had lost their interest in Earth after the last of their loved ones died and came here with them.

I took one more look back at the pond, where Yugi and Atem were scratching at each other, and then I started flat-out running to nowhere.

I've found out that if you run far and fast enough with no ending in sight, and when your emotions are about to implode, Ra will listen. He will take you to him.

I run faster and farther, the landscape of my old Egypt flying behind me. Things started to disappear into shadows, falling behind me. I don't have much time. Maybe ten minutes on Earth, but here…

There was a bright light that enveloped me, and then I was in the house of Ra and Osiris. They were playing a friendly game of poker as I walked in.

"Ah, Nanu, Great Queen of the Desert. You know, that's what they called you. 'Great Queen of the Desert'," Osiris mused, almost to himself.

"Why have you come to us, Great Queen of the Desert?" I was panting, my hands on my knees, supporting myself.

"You know why." I declared, standing up straight, staring down Ra and Osiris. "If you take Atem away from Yugi and his friends that you would be doing more harm than good. You saw what I saw, I know that."

Pause.

"Yes." Ra answered tentatively. I might be able actually sway Ra himself. I didn't have time to crack out the champagne; I'm a protective mother, and mama's _mad._ And everyone knows that if mama ain't happy, ain't _nobody_ happy. (A/N Beverly Hillbillies. I grew up watching that show…)

"If Atemu leaves, Yugi will put a gun in his mouth and pull the trigger. That will cause Joey to do the same. Then his love Seto Kaiba will do it out of guilt. Which causes Mokuba to kill himself, because he has no one other than his older brother. And then goes Serenity for love of her only brother, and bringing her boyfriend Tristan down with her, who was going to propose to her two days after. Marik kills himself after that because his only friends were almost all dead. Then Ishizu kills herself because she didn't have anyone else. And at the loss of Marik, Marik's new boyfriend Malik Blishtar will kill himself out of pure love. Then his sister Sophia will die out of shock because her brother was all she had, then her girlfriend Lizzie kills herself because she loved Sophia. Leaving empty families and loneliness. Taking away Atemu kills more people then it creates. If you take away Atemu, a thousand descendants of the close knit group of friends would have never been born, leaving the world in a place it shouldn't have been. More than half of the descendants will be a part of the people saving the world. The other half will be directly teaching the army to fight. Without them, the devils will run free all over the world as they almost 5,000 years ago. You really want to do that, don't you?"

Ra sighed a dignified, yet very tired sigh. "No-"

"Then why are you going through with it?"

"Nanu, Great Queen of the Desert, you must understand that we've only let a dead person live three times in the entire life of the Afterlife." Osiris said, cautiously weary.

"But you _have_ done it, right?" I pointed out.

"Yes, we have." Ra quickly answered before Osiris could go on in this long, drawn-on run-around. "All three times it was because they were still very in love with someone who was deathly in love with them as well, and not even all of their descendants would save the world one day."

"We did because we realized how much they needed each other. If they were separated, they wouldn't be able to do their own jobs in the world and the world would be in ruins. The littlest things, like a glare or a scoff can change someone forever." Osiris finished, "And if that scoff or glare is not delivered at the right time, nothing will be the same as it is meant to be."

"They're meant to be together," I guardedly said, not really understanding what they were saying.

"Yes," Ra agreed. "Even back in Egypt, but that fell through because of something much like this. Pharaoh Atemu was meant to meet a runaway slave, whose name was Yugi, but a person who was supposed to be with his wife, had spotted Yugi. Yugi was meant to run through the garden where the young Pharaoh was walking, and they would fall in love at first sight."

"But," Osiris continued for Ra, "The man who spotted Yugi, his wife was murdered by a devil. She wasn't supposed to die, but she did. So, in his grief, the man went for a walk to clear his head and he saw Yugi. He took him away to the camp he had escaped from."

"And Yugi," Ra picked up again, "was killed."

"They've been meant to be together for thousands of years. They've been kept apart."

"So, you're going to let him stay?"

Ra and Osiris looked at each other, and sucked in a breath.

**Yugi POV**

**4 Minutes**

I felt his hands sliding up and down my body, all over.

We had moved to a stall so if someone comes in, they won't see us.

I grabbed his wrists tightly, stopping whatever movement he was about to make. I slammed him up against the opposite wall of the stall (A/N rhyme…) and slid my entire body downwards, making sure to not leave his skin ever.

I could feel Yami's eyes watching me hesitantly, asking me if this was really OK with me. I nodded silently into his stomach and dropped down on my knees, unbuttoning and unzipping, until I could completely pull down his pants.

I didn't spend much time before I put him in my mouth, my head bobbing, Yami's head banging against the wall, making a confined noise.

Yami kept repeating the same words. "Oh fuck, Yugi, fuck…"

That only encouraged me to pull almost completely off him, then diving back in.

After a minute or two, Yami went quiet for a moment, his hips bucking hard, then he screamed out, his voice reverberating off the corridors of my mind.

I swallowed the sticky substance like it was candy.

"Oh, Yugi," Yami whispered, pulling me up from underneath my shoulders, shoving me against the other wall I had been pressed up against, this time he slid down just as I did.

After I was done, he came back up and kissed me.

I could taste myself fresh in his mouth.

"Yugi…" he whispered against my lips.

"Yes?"

"Do you love me?"

"Yes. I love you."

"I love you too, now take care of yourself." He pushed off of me, zipping me up then himself, stepping away to look at me. He put his hands on my shoulders, staring straight in my eyes. "Live on. Find someone to love." I didn't understand what he was saying.

"But I love _you_." I insisted, unknowing. Yami looked down and shook his head, smiling.

"I love you too, but that's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what _are _you talking about?"

"Yugi…" Yami lifted his wrist, showing me his watch. "I have fifty seconds left here. So just listen."

My eyes widened. "But you said you weren't-"

"Shush!" he insisted, lifting his long finger to my lips. "Yugi, I don't have any idea how I'm going to do this. I love you forever. Don't ever forget that. Don't hurt yourself. I love you. It would break my heart. Goodbye, Yugi. I love you."

"No! Noooo!" I grabbed him tightly to me, hiding myself in the crook of his neck. His scent started to fade. I closed my eyes tightly. I didn't want to see him fade away from me. I could now only faintly feel his fingers dancing along my back. Then I couldn't feel them at all.

And then I fell face first into the floor.

No…

This was just like before.

I looked around me quickly, but I didn't see him.

Of course.

I could feel the tears in my eyes, falling down my cheeks, creating a puddle on the ground.

And then I heard a voice behind me.

"What the _fuck?_"

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: 

Pie: Frig, you stopped watching Taking the Hobbits To Isengard hours ago!

Princess: DON'T YOU SAY ISENGARD…

Pie: *sigh* this is what I have to put up with all day long.

Princess: Yeah, but you love me, right?

Pie: *walks away*

Princess: Pie? PIE? HIKARI?


	17. I Wanna Find Somewhere I Belong

Princess: Déjà vu much?

Pie: Whaddya mean?

Princess: At the beginning of this fan fiction, Yugi was I tears over the loss of his one true love.

Shadow the Cat: Also, just to make a certain person happy…

Pie: SHOUT OUT TO EGYPTSBLACKROSE! :D:D:D:D Oh, and you have no idea how close I came to making the guy who said 'what the fuck' to being some pervert just because it wouldda screwed Yugi up big time.

Princess: YES… Now Pie, will you please look at me and talk to me again?

Pie: *ignoring Princess*

Princess: Piiieeeeee! Hikkaarrrriiiiii

Pie: *picks up chainsaw* I was just mentally scarred by watching the 10 hours of Taking The Hobbits to Isengard. No one should be forced to endure such torture. Now leave me alone so I can listen to real music. Like Linkin Park. Or Avril Laivnge. Or Paramore. Or 10 hours of Jar Of Dirt. Or Eminem. Ya know. Things like that.

Shadow the Cat: Personally, you don't seem like the kind of girl who would listen to Eminem. You probably only listen to Mockingbird and stuff like that, right?

Pie: Nope. I'm all about '97 Bonnie & Clyde, KIM, My Dad's Gone Crazy… I could go on but I won't.

Princess: KIM is a messed up song.

Pie: Are you disrespecting the king? How dare you disrespect the king? I still have the gun that Eminem used to murder Shadow earlier in this fic. I can ask him to use it on you. I bet he will. We're buddies now.

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Yami POV**

**Afterlife, -1 Second**

The tears were already freely falling down my face as the fake Egyptian world surrounded me.

But something seemed different. There was a semi-circle around me of my friends and family.

They all came up to me and patted me on the shoulder, but it was as if I wasn't truly there. It was like the time my parents asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I told them I wanted them to talk the entire day with a bowl over their mouths. Every sound that came from their mouths was muffled. It was as if nobody else existed but me and my big sister, who was being nice to me for that one day.

Everything went by as if it wasn't real.

And, at the end of the… line, sort of, stood my mother. She was the only clear thing. She looked younger and less stress-filled.

Her hair, her long, black, blue, orange, and red hair, her purple eyes… everything about her is mine now. We share it. The only difference is I'm a guy, my hair sticks out in every which way, and my voice is deeper. Her voice is more like the tinkling of bells… beautiful, inside and out.

Not like me.

I always feel dirty. I don't know why.

Not physically dirty, like I need to take a shower, but, like… emotionally or mentally dirty.

Something about the way I look at the world, the way I see all the people forced to the streets, the people driving themselves to the grave working long, hard hours just to pay for food for their children.

It makes me feel dirty that I was raised above that as a child.

Half of me wishes I grew up like Yugi; feet dangling just above the molten lava of poverty.

The other half knows that if that were the case, I would not have been chosen to be that amazing boy's yami.

If I had never met Yugi, I probably would've just thrown in the towel and given up.

"Goodbye, sweet darling Atemu. I'll be watching over you always. Your mother loves you," she got upon her tip-toes and kissed my forehead lovingly, her hands wavering on my temples. "I'll see you again soon, when you pass. Your mother loves you very, very much." She kissed me again on the forehead, and stepped back, waving. Everyone else waved as well, and then they started disappearing.

A bright light surrounded me.

"What the _fuck?_" I asked no one.

**Tea POV**

**Delivery Room, Domino Hospital, -3 Seconds**

"Okay, honey, _push,_"

"_ARRGGGGHHH!"_

"You're doing fine now, sweetie, come on, you can do it, just a few more pushes,"

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

I was barely aware of Duke beside me, fuck near pulling his hair out.

"_AAARRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ and I felt something slip out of me. "Holy _spit…"_

A loud crying filled the room.

My head lulled over to see where the crying was coming from.

I was already half-dead from the pain and stress of it all.

All but one of the nurses rushed the crying away from me, over to this box-like thingamabob and cleaned the crying.

I felt so out of it; it was like I was drunker than an alcoholic who had been stuck in a wine cellar.

Then the group of nurses and doctors thinned as one brought a towel-wrapped… something… over to me.

"It's a boy," the female nurse gushed. "It's a baby boy!"

Duke looked so pale when I glanced at him, with his arm halfway reaching over to me to just be close to the baby.

"This is your son," the nurse squealed.

I glared at her, and she finally caught on.

She gave me the screaming bundle.

Once he was nuzzled in the crook of my elbow, he went silent, opening his bright blue eyes and looking up at me and Duke. The spindly, jet black hair of the baby smoothed around his damp head.

Duke was invading my personal space, but I didn't care. All I wanted right now was to get home with my baby and have an amazing family.

"What's the name of your baby?" a doctor asked indifferently, his face hidden by the clipboard he was suddenly very entertained by.

I glanced at Duke for a moment, looking back down at the little baby boy in my arms.

Duke smirked the way he used to, back when I despised the air he breathed. His green eyes glinting evilly, swishing back a stray lock of jet black hair and sticking it back behind his checkered headband.

"You know what?" the doc asked, looking up from the clipboard. "Pretend I'm not here." He escaped into the corner.

"Charles?" Duke suggested.

"Manson?" I sarcastically responded.

"Jack?"

"The Ripper?"

"George?"

"Foyet?"

"Who?"

"Don't you ever watch _Criminal Minds_?"

"No."

"You are a moron. I don't understand people who don't watch _Criminal Minds_. How do they breathe?"

"Alexander?"

"You really want to run around the house screaming, 'Alexander Devlin, get back here'?"

"No…"

"Exactly. How about…" an idea came to me then. "You remember when we went to the Adirondacks? You remember that one mountain's name that I was obsessed with for the rest of vacation?"

"Colden?" (A/N named for my newborn second cousin! Colden Charles! Born Nov. 3rd)

"Colden. Colden Alexander Devlin?"

"Perfect."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"You pick out a name yet?" the doc asked, walking back to the middle of the room.

"Colden Alexander Devlin."

"Okay! You can leave tomorrow afternoon once all the paperwork is filled out. Colden Alexander Devlin, born June-"

"I want it to be written as the 20th."

"Why?"

"Because that's the day that Princess, the author of this convoluted mess of a fan fiction, was born."

"Ok… then… Colden Alexander Devlin, born June 20th, 2011."

"Thank you," we called in unison as the doctor walked out.

Duke stroked the top of Colden's head lovingly.

"Hey baby," he whispered, leaning in and kissing that forehead lovingly. "Welcome to the family,"

**Yugi POV**

**Men's Bathroom, Domino Hospital, -13 Seconds**

"What the _fuck?"_ a familiar voice asked from behind me.

I spun around, sure my mind was playing tricks on me.

But I must be hallucinating that he's there now, too.

He rushed forward and hugged me.

That was when I knew.

"Yami!" I yelled, my tears stopping for a moment, then starting again harder. He's here now.

"I'll _never_ leave you alone again!" he promised, cuddling me in his neck. He was taking in the scent of my strawberry shampoo. "I'll never forget this way I'm feeling. I fell in love with you, Yugi. I never want to leave your side."

"Then don't," I blubbered through my tears. "But… I don't understand."

"Neither do I. All I know is that I'm not going back to the Afterlife until I die myself. We should go check on everyone in the waiting room…" I nodded, standing up and composing myself.

I walked over and pushed open the door to the rest of the hospital. I was ready to act like there wasn't anyone behind me. Nobody else could see him.

So of course I was surprised when Yami grabbed clamped down on my shoulders from behind with his right forearm.

"Um, sirs," the person at the front desk called to us. "Public displays of affection are frowned upon here. Especially homosexual displays. We're just trying to keep our visitors from being insulted by passersby." She can see him? What the hell?

Yami looked at her. "You let Joey and Kaiba show 'affection'."

"Oh, are you friends with Mr. Kaiba? He is a contributor to the hospital."

"We've known Kaiba for years."

"Then carry on."

"OK then." Yami finished, still walking me down to the couches.

"How can she see you? Did you know her?"

"Yugi, I'm here to stay. I'm human here, right now I'm from this time. Everyone can see me, because I'm here, in the flesh."

"Oh, I love you so much," I whisper as we sit down on one of the couches.

"I know."

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: I… have nothing to say.

Pie: I love how either nobody went to the bathroom for the, like, ten minutes Yugi and Yami were in there, or nobody cared that two guys were giving each other blow jobs in one of the stalls.

Shadow the Cat: Americans.

Pie: I do have a chainsaw, you know.

Shadow the Cat: I do not fear the chainsaw. I was murdered by it in chapter three or four. Or somewhere in there.

Pie: Yes, but I ended your suffering quickly in that chapter. You didn't even get a murdering montage. This time, it'll go on for… another couple chapters.

Shadow the Cat: *runs into bathroom and locks the door*

Princess: How can she lock the door? She's a cat that walks on all fours and only gets up to beg you to scratch her neck. *clutching at Pie's ankle, trying to get her to notice Princess*

Pie: She can lock the door because she's a main character. And everyone knows that main characters can do whatever they want.

Shadow the Cat: *calling through locked door, which she locked herself as a main character* YEAHZ WHAT SHE SAID

Pie: Did you just say 'that's what she said'?

Shadow the Cat: No! nononooo I did not…

Pie: *holding up chainsaw and taking it to evil door that's hiding the kitty* Heeeeeerrrrrrrrrrreeeeee'sssssssssss JOHNNY!

Shadow the Cat: OH SWEET MOTHER OF THE LORD!

Pie: *mad scientist laugh* 


	18. The Good Life

Princess: *watching on in horror as Pie tortures the kitty with a chainsaw*

Pie: *laughing evilly* MWUA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

Shadow the Cat: OH MY GOOOODDDD OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDDD

Emma: I am Pie's BFF and I'm here to let you know that the center point that the days are counted by is June 20th, or the day Colden was born. So if it says **24 Days Later** then it's July 13th.

Pie: Thanks Em, I'm kinda busy torturing the kitty cat.

Emma: don't get blood and guts on the carpet. I won't clean it up.

Pie: Aww man!

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Tea POV**

**213 Days Later**

I watched Colden crawl around on the floor, as if he just stepped right on the perfect centimeter of ground, that the floor would open up and he would be given candy to his heart's glory.

"Mwahh mwahhh!" came the happy squeal from his mouth. I dove for him, hugging him tightly without picking him up.

"What's up, Colden?" I asked, looking down at his perfect face, which was a faultless mix of Duke and I's faces.

He smiled up at me and pointed to a picture on the wall of the whole gang together in front of a waterslide at the water park we had visited when we went to New York a few months ago. Mai had taken the picture.

"Ta?" he asked, looking back up at me. That was his language.

When he wanted to know something, he pointed to it and declared, 'ta?' (A/N I would point and ask my momma, who understood my language perfectly, "da?" and she would reply, "you want orange juice, Pie?" "dahhhhh,")

"That's your Mommy and Daddy and uncles and aunts at Seabreeze." We all were in our swimsuits, all smiles plastered on our faces, all of us soaking wet.

"Ta?" he asked again. 'Who are they? Name them for me.'

"The one over there," I pointed to myself in the photo, "is your Mommy. Then your Daddy," Duke was tickling me, so I was bent over in my bikini, laughing, with him laughing along with me, our wedding rings sparkling in the sunlight. "then Uncle Joey and Uncle Seto," the two were smiling sweetly at each other, so sweetly you could already see the soft kisses they were going to share once they got out of the wet trunks. "then Aunt Ishizu," Ishizu was staring off, almost lovingly, behind the camera at Mai. "then Aunt Serenity and Uncle Tristan," Tristan was smiling down at Serenity, obviously planning something while Serenity completely ignored him. "then there's Uncle Marik and Uncle Malik," they were making faces at the camera, Marik making like he was about to punch Malik in the face. "there's Uncle Ryo and Uncle Bakura," Ryo was smiling shyly at the camera, Bakura rolling his eyes and hugging Ryo tightly. "there's Uncle Mokuba and Uncle Noah," Noah smiled timidly, Mokuba laughing at him, trying to show him it was now OK. "and there's Uncle Yami and Uncle Yugi." Colden giggled, seeing the two of them hugging. Yami was hugging Yugi from behind, kissing Yugi's neck lovingly. Yugi was laughing.

"Tahhhhhhhhhh," Colden sighed, happy with my answer.

It's the good life.

**Ishizu POV**

**123 Days Later**

I stared at my cell phone, awaiting the call that would set me free again tonight.

Just hearing that voice… it let me let go after all the stress of the day.

That day at Seabreeze was a dream.

I got to spend the whole day, night, and most of the morning with the voice.

I don't care that whenever I get that call, it drives my phone bills through the roof, because it's all worth it. That voice is so perfect; it saves me from worrying about bills.

It fills me with joy now that I know that my younger brother has someone now.

Marik… my brother…

How many nights had I cried myself to sleep because I had no one else who wanted to protect you? Now I have my love's beautiful voice to protect me, and now I have Malik who wants to protect you.

_SHUT UP WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUUUTTT UPPPP! I'M ABOUT TO BREAK! _(A/N One Step Closer by Linkin Park)

My phone was finally ringing.

I lunged for it and answered it.

"_Ishizu baby?"_

I sighed.

It was the voice that made me feel better.

"Hello Mai."

**Seto POV**

**33 Days Later**

I sat at the edge of my bed, looking at the moon shimmering through the window.

I was only wearing a sock on my left foot and a frown.

The last time I had done this, which must've been a year ago; I had spent the next three months trying to find a way to get the girl to stop stalking me.

She had stolen my keys and waited in my apartment, where she was wearing only one of my big button-down shirts and high heels.

She had done so much more after that.

Then one day she snapped.

I had just gotten back to my new apartment, and she was waiting for me.

I told her to give me my keys back and to get out.

Then she grabbed a knife from my kitchen and started screaming at me, asking me why I didn't like her.

"_Seto?"_ she gasped breathily, and I ignored her, taking off my jacket and putting it on my couch. _"SETO! Why don't you like me?"_ (A/N my favorite part of Eminem's song KIM: "Kim? KIM! Why don't like me?")

I completely ignored her, just telling her to put my keys down on the table and to leave.

"_NO! DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME! LOOK AT ME! I WON'T BE IGNORED!" _she screeched, jumping towards me and pointing the knife at me.

"_Kaiba?" _came the frightened gasp from the door. Joey stood in the door for a millisecond, then pouncing like a puppy on the girl, knocking her to the ground. The knife went clattering away, and that's when I put down my barrier and showed my pure fear at the situation.

I grabbed up the knife and put it away, coming back to find Joey pointing to the door, just finishing saying something to the girl. She nodded sadly, tears flowing freely down her face, and she ran out, her high heels clicking against the tiles.

Joey had looked at me and smiled his idiotic smile.

I still don't know why to this day why, but I rushed forward that night.

I rushed forward and kissed Joey right on the lips.

I still don't know why, but he kissed back.

And then we had sex.

And that's how we became an item.

We fell in love and we haven't fallen back out yet, and I don't know if I ever want it to.

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm," my bedmate sighed. "Why are you awake." He asked me.

"Because the moon looks beautiful." I answered truthfully, looking back at Joey, whose clear back was swathed in the moonlight, making it almost as pale as mine, which was bleached because I spent my days now controlling Kaiba Corp through my laptop, on my bed, with my lover helping me at every turn.

Joey propped himself up on his elbows, holding his face up with his palms, looking out the window with me.

"Mmm, yes it is beautiful."

"… Joey?" I asked quietly, only half-wanting him to hear me.

"Yeah Kaiba?"

"Why do you still only call me 'Kaiba' instead of 'Seto'? We've been dating for almost a year now."

There was a pause while Joey thought.

"I call you 'Kaiba' because 'Seto' is a half-assed name for a hard-ass like you."

"Oh?" I replied, spinning around onto my knees on the bed, "My ass is hard?"

Joey giggled.

"Yes. It is."

We laughed together until we fell asleep again.

In each other's arms.

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: Sorry that there was no Puzzleshipping in this chapter, but I need filler to fill up until chapter 20, which is when I'll stop.

Emma: Yeah, Princess and Pie are going through most of the characters, but the last chapter… will be a surprise.

Pie: YEAHHHHHHH *chainsaw screaming*

Shadow the Cat: HOLYYYYYYYYYYYYY JEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESU-

Pie: DON'T YOU DARE INSULT THE LORD!

Shadow the Cat: I'MMMMMMM 

Pie: HA HA AHAHAHAHAAAAAA


	19. Qwerty

Princess: Yes. Going through another batch of characters before heading into the Puzzleshipping in the next and final chapter.

Pie: But if you want to, on the last chapter, you can leave a comment telling me if you want me to continue with a prequel or maybe just add more chapters. It's all up to you. *starting to get bored with torturing the small but cute kitty*

Shadow the Cat: There is a possibility that we might write a prequel to DDUP, all about one or more of the relationships in the series. We probs will do a Tea x Duke one with a little prodding, but tell us what you want and we WILL write it. But it would be better if you left a comment on this chapter, because (Princess doesn't know) we might post chapter 20 and then label DDUP 'complete', so if you want more chapters of DDUP, COMMENT NOW! *screams in pain*

Princess: How can a cat scream in pain? Wouldn't it be more like a hiss?

Pie: She can do whatever she wants because she is a main character.

Shadow the Cat: YUP.

Princess: Super special awesome thanks to the Linkin Park song QWERTY, it inspired this entire chapter.

Pie: So… THANK YOU CHESTER, MIKE, ROB, BRAD, JOE, AND PHOENIX! Specially to Chester, who is just so hawt… holy…

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Tristan POV**

**220 Days Later**

I walked down the long city street of the metropolis, pausing in front of the jeweler's building.

'Jessica's Beauty' it was called, which the owner had named after his wife, Jessica.

"Let's do this," I whispered to myself, walking through the door.

"Hi!" an elderly lady called. "I'm Jessica! Welcome to Jessica's Beauty!" she was beaming.

"Hello," I replied, smiling down at the grinning woman.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her face still glowing.

"I want to buy an engagement ring. For my girlfriend."

"Ah, yes. Come over here." She led me over to a glass case, filled with silver bands and gems.

I glanced lazily over all of the rings, until I saw this one.

I started, gasping.

"Can I… can I see that one?" I pointed to the flat band, beautiful flowers cut into the silver.

"Yes," she scurried over to the other end of the case, opening the glass and taking out the ring carefully, holding it to the light in front of my face. "No one seems to want this ring, but what about you?"

I gasped at the beauty. It fit Serenity's personality… so perfectly.

"I'm buying it." I threw about two hundred dollars at her and grabbed the ring.

"But sir? Will that fit her finger?"

"I know it will."

I didn't care about the money. This is now my love story, hopefully.

Serenity is waiting for me at the park a couple blocks down.

I jog the whole way.

I'm panting and sweating by the time I get into the park.

Serenity was sitting on a bench, looking just like an angel.

She smiled when she saw me, and waved me over.

I ran over to her and immediately got on my knee.

I clutched the ring in my hand.

"Oh my God, Tristan…"

"Serenity, I've loved you since I first saw you. I don't want to go another day without-"

"Tristan," she interrupted.

Oh god.

"Tristan, I love you too, but you don't want me. Not anymore…"

"Why the hell would I ever not love you?"

"Because…" she sucked in a breath, "Because I'm _pregnant,_ Tristan." (A/N I don't care that Tristan is of age and Serenity isn't. I'm a fanfic author! The fact that it is against the law means NOTHING to me!) She put a hand over her mouth, a stray tear sliding down her face.

"Serenity… don't cry, I'll start crying too." I hugged her tightly. "Now you never even gave me a chance to finish asking the question. Now, Serenity, will you marry me?"

"But-"

"I don't care that you're pregnant. I love you so much, and I want you to be my wife. What do you say?" I held out the ring.

She smiled.

She nodded, holding out her left hand and separating her ring finger as I slid it on.

She shoved herself into me, and I hugged her as the tears flowed freely down her face.

"Do you want this baby?" I asked her, suddenly worried.

"It's your child, of course I want it."

"How… far along are you?"

"About a month."

"You know we have to tell Joey this now?"

Pause.

"Yes. We should do that now."

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

"Joey," I started, Serenity's hand tightly clasped in mine. "There's a couple things we need to tell you."

"O- kay…" Joey looked at the two of us sideways.

We were standing in Kaiba and Joey's apartment, more specifically in the kitchen, as Joey fussed around. I guess Kaiba was out grocery shopping or something of the sort.

"We're getting married," I said.

Joey gave me this blank stare then went back to fumbling around.

"… not surprised…" he mumbled.

"And-" Serenity was about to tell him, but then stopped. She was frightened. "I'm… I'm… pregnant, Joey."

A plastic plate clattered onto the floor as Joey's entire frame just stopped. It didn't move, he didn't breathe.

"What. Did you. Just say." He asked, pure anger coating his voice.

"I'm going to have a baby, Joey."

Joey spun around and before I had time to think a fist was deposited on my face.

"_YOU TREAT MY SISTER RIGHT!"_ he screamed in my face, shoving me down onto the ground and running out the door.

Probably going to find Kaiba.

I stare out the door.

"I will."

**Joey POV**

**220 Days Later**

I shove Tristan to the floor and run out, trying to find the one person who is my safe haven.

I run all the way to the grocery store where he told me he would be shopping at.

I was gasping for breath as I entered the shop, but I didn't slow down. People started giving me a wide birth, like they thought I could hurt them.

I didn't care, that just meant that I had more room and didn't have to yell at them to move.

I ran through every aisle, trying to find him.

I planned to find him and just start shopping with him, telling him calmly after I had calmed myself.

But no.

When I did find him, looking from a shelf to a notebook then back at the shelf, I broke down into tears.

I ran forward one last time and hugged him, sobbing into the back of his shirt.

Kaiba turned around, hugging me back, rubbing my back comfortingly as I grabbed at him.

"Puppy…" he whispered, concerned. "What's wrong?"

I coughed a couple of times.

"Serenity… and Tristan… are… having a… baby…" instantly, Kaiba hugged me tighter, massaging my back and neck.

He pulled his hand through my shaggy blonde hair, smoothing it as he went.

"Help me shop." He ordered sweetly, tugging at my hand.

"Okay," I cough a few more times and start following him down the aisles, receiving weird looks and glares.

They probably didn't much like the fact we were holding hands and hugging each other tightly.

But I didn't care.

I was calm and with my love.

I was happy.

**Bakura POV**

**124 Days Later**

I softly slid out of the bed where Ryo was sleeping.

I walked down the hallway to the kitchen, where I reached into the fridge and grabbed a soda.

I opened my soda and hopped onto the counter.

My baggy, black and green checkered pajama pants were covering my whole feet. They were still too long, and I wasn't about to grow anymore, on account that I'm about 5,000 years old.

But I refused to throw them away, because Ryo gave them to me for my birthday a year ago.

Ryo…

When I was sent to the Afterlife, which I had ingeniously talked my way out of, he waited for me.

He tells me he waited two days.

He tells me that he was completely alone during those times. Lonely.

That fills me with sadness. Such sadness at the thought of Ryo, _my Ryo,_ being hurt and alone because of _me_.

That day I had promised myself I would never hurt him again.

That day I changed completely, because my love for him had bubbled to the surface.

Deep down I had always known I loved him. If I hadn't, then why would I protect him and get the ultimate revenge on people who hurt him?

I had just admitted to myself that I loved him, and that's how I made it to the way I am today.

I heard a noise that was half-way between a gasp and a shriek coming from the room.

Then a heart wrenching "BAKURA!" echoed through the house.

I set the soda down on the counter quickly and ran back to the bedroom, where Ryo was sobbing on the bed.

"Bakura," he sighed, wiping away his tears.

I rushed forward, jumping onto the bed and immediately pulled him into my chest, trying to pull him back inside of me again, where we would never be separated again. Ever.

"What's wrong, Ryo?" I asked as comfortingly as possible.

"I dreamt you… left again. For the Afterlife. And you didn't come back." He burst into tears again.

I sighed into Ryo's marshmallow-like hair, smiling.

"How many times do I have to say it," I squeezed Ryo so close to me I couldn't breathe anymore. "I'm never leaving you again."

I could feel a smile tugging at Ryo's lips against my shoulder, which was now tear-soaked, just like it was almost every night.

"Kura… tell me a story?" he asked me, pulling away from me and laying down.

I laid down next to him and stared at him.

"There was one night, a long time ago, that a self-centered thief stood atop a mountain, staring over a sleeping city. He deemed himself the Thief King…"

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess: If you would like us to write something special, like a prequel, or maybe continue DDUP after chapter 20, or any ideas you want, we will probs write it. So… press the review button down there V

Pie: Do you see it? Down there V

Shadow the Cat: Yes… At least Pie isn't tortured me anymore.

Pie: Oh, but I'm not done. I just got bored with my chainsaw. I'm waiting for my laser to come in the mail.

Shadow the Cat: NOOOOOOOOO NOT THE LASER!

Pie: MWUAH HA HA HA HA HA HA AHA HA HA AH AHA AH AHA HA


	20. Remember Me, And Leave Out All The Rest

Princess: WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN!

Shadow the Cat: I'VE GOT A JAR OF DIRT! I'VE GOT A JAR OF DIRT! I'VE GOT A JAR OF DIRT! AND GUESS WHAT'S INSIDE IT!

Pie: Oh shuddup, the obscure references are giving me a headache.

Emma: You shush. I don't wanna hear any more references from you. You _know_ that was a reference to YGOTAS.

Pie: But-

Emma: No.

Pie: But-

Emma: No!

Pie: I was going to say that that conversation just now was a reference to YGX:TAS by the very attractive Shadyvox and xthedarkone.

Emma: Oh sugar!

Pie: *giggles maniacally*

ALL CHARACTERS: THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH YOU ROCK! GOODBYE IN ADVANCE! WE LOVE YOU!

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

**Ryo POV**

**213 Days Later**

I was lying on the bed tiredly, not wanting to get up for anything.

Everything moved in slow motion.

I kept telling myself that I would get up after I finished that breath of clean air.

But I didn't.

I stayed curled up in the fetal position, the blanket pulled up to my forehead, compliments of Bakura earlier that morning.

Bakura.

My Bakura…

He had already gotten up hours ago.

"Ryo?" Bakura asked, sneaking back into the room. "Time to wake up," he whispered, sneaking in and kissing my forehead.

"Mmm stay 'ere," I whispered, my hand snaking out and grabbing his collar, pulling him close to me.

With my sudden yank, Bakura fell down onto the bed.

A small gasp followed by a chuckle and Bakura pushed himself back up and ripped the blanket off of me.

I gasped loudly at the cold that suddenly gripped my bones.

Then a warm comfort wound around me as thin but strong arms slid into the bed and crawled over my skin, bringing the blanket with them.

"Kura?" I asked tentatively, stiffening a bit.

"Yes Ryo?"

"Sing to me?" Bakura chuckled and pulled me closer to him.

"_I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared, but no one would listen, 'cause no one else cared. After my dreaming, I woke with this fear: what am I leaving when I'm done here? So if you're asking me I want you to know: when my time comes, forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. And don't resent me and when you're feeling empty keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest. Leave out all the rest." _I guess he might've continued, and in my dreams I dreamt of him singing this song to me.

But sleep grabbed me and pulled me under.

But even while I was sleeping, I was deathly aware that Bakura's arms were still hugging me, warming my body while his beautiful voice warmed my soul.

"_Don't be afraid of taking my beating, I've shared what I mean…"_ (A/N Leave Out All The Rest – Linkin Park) (A/N now guess what time it is!) (A/N ADVENTURE TIME!) (A/N actually it's time for Puzzleshipping)

**Yami POV**

**276 Days Later**

"YAMI!" Yugi screamed, and I started running.

Running down the stairs, down the hallways, and past the doors of our new home which we bought last month.

I arrived in the living room to Yugi sitting on the couch, his eyes fixed on the TV, flickering with interest.

"What'swrongYugi?" I asked quickly rushing to the couch and jumping on next to him.

"You're missing _Criminal Minds._" He replied like it was so normal.

You have to understand, Criminal Minds is to Yugi what oxygen is to normal humans.

"Shh," Yugi whispered right as I was about to ask him why he screamed at me. "The episode's ending."

Reid (A/N *fangirl squeal* *hyperventilates* *faints* *dies*) and Gideon were sitting across from each other in the plane.

"_We don't always beat the monsters to the babies," _Gideon told Reid, _"but we do enough to make the job worth it, and keep the nightmares bearable."_

Keep the nightmares bearable?

_I have that now, _I thought to myself, glancing over at Yugi.

Then another episode of Criminal Minds started right after the end.

"What?"

"It's a marathon. An all-day marathon; and you're going to watch with me." Yugi declared, not breaking his stare from the Idiot Box.

"Okay Princess,"

"I'm the Prince, you moron!" (A/N he's the Prince, love him) he giggled, hitting my shoulder. "Now SHH!"

And the beginning of the next episode started, and I prepared myself for the horrors to come.

I smiled and lunged at Yugi, tackling him into the couch and hugged him close to me, settling in. Yugi laughed, and curled into me as I lay down.

Only a minute into the episode and Yugi was already flinching and was close to tears.

"Yugi?" I asked him, jostling him slightly so he knew I was talking to him and so I could shake him out of his stupor.

"Yes?" came the shaky reply. He _was_ close to tears.

"Why do you watch this show if it only brings you grief and sadness?"

There was a pause as Yugi thought over the answer. The opening title sequence came on, giving Yugi the perfect time to explain this to me.

"Because it lets me know that, through all the bad things we've been through, we could have worse. Life goes on. And having you here; it gives me reasons to prove myself wrong, that I do have a reason to live. You set my memory clean." (A/N New Divide – Linkin Park!)

I smiled at Yugi.

"Yami, I want to get a tattoo of your name. Both 'Atem' and 'Yami',"

"Then I will get a tattoo of your name."

"When?"

"How's tomorrow?"

"Perfect."

Smiles were exchanged and the horrific crimes of Criminal Minds started to play on the Idiot Box.

"I love you, Yugi,"

"Love you too, now SHUSH YOURSELF! REID IS TALKING!"

**Yugi POV**

**278 Days Later**

I stared at the new writing on my flesh; Atem in Ancient Egyptian, Yami in Japanese, written on my wrists; it reminded me of his two lives.

One as a 5,000 year old Pharaoh, and another as an eighteen-year-old Japanese boy.

"Hey Yugi?" Yami called to me, strolling into the living room where I sat, his shirt somewhere unknown. His bare chest almost sent me into convulsions.

"Hmm?" was the only reply I could muster right now.

"Do you like the tat?" he asked, lifting his right arm up above his head so I could see the words on his side clearly.

_Yugi _it read, and underneath my own name were two words from an language alien to me, _Fatum Ignotis_.

"What?"

"Fat-toom Ig-notice," he pronounced, "is Latin for 'Fate Unknown'. I think it suits us," he said, strutting towards me and pulling me into him broad chest.

And we started dancing around in circles, the clothes being shed like fur off a cat.

Yami started humming a tune, then the tune morphed into words.

"_I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my Hikari you'll be."_

~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`~:.`+'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~'.:~

Princess & Pie & Shadow & All Other Characters: *clutching at each other* *sobbing* GOODBYE!

Spencer Reid (from Criminal Minds): What are you guys doing?

Pie & Princess (but mostly Pie): *dies from overexposure to extreme HAWTNESS*

Shadow the Cat: Aaaannnndddd now they're dead. But they'll probably come back for other fics.

Pie & Princess (but mostly Pie): AND FOR SPENCER REID'S HAWTNESS!

Shadow the Cat: Yeah that too.


End file.
